


Love is Stored in the Venti

by TheBeingOfEverything



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Masturbation, Multi, Tentacle Sex, Threesome - M/M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:21:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 41,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27397147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBeingOfEverything/pseuds/TheBeingOfEverything
Summary: Welcome to the Blue Devil, Rin is happy to take your order!Anything to get business away from those pretentious guys over at Cafe True Cross, one customer at a time.Or, Mephisto's usual place is closed for renovations and in another part of town, Amaimon opens up his little shop of horrors.
Relationships: Amaimon/Mephisto Pheles, Amaimon/Okumura Rin, Amaimon/Okumura Rin/Mephisto Pheles, Okumura Rin/Mephisto Pheles
Comments: 178
Kudos: 153
Collections: Blue Exorcist





	1. You Want a Tip for That Service?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So NORMALLY I am not one for coffee shop or florist aus. But then I thought to myself, tboe, u can totally do a coffee shop au and make it exactly how u like it, u have the power to NOT make it a pile of fluff >:D And so I did ;D
> 
> Also reminder I run a small, open-ship discord server for aoex anyone is welcome to join!: https://discord.gg/sAhbKby
> 
> Song of the Chapter:
> 
> DEMONS by DREAMERS
> 
> (But guys forreal I need song recs for this fic bc I can only find so many coffee/drink/plant shop/coffee shop themed songs XD)
> 
> The playlist is on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7k1PwtUUeVL7RWXat888TO under the same name as the fic :D

“I just told you, Cafe True Cross has closed down temporarily. Yes, I’ve stopped at one along the way, this has been incredibly inconvenient, Belial.”

Rin glanced up from the latte he was swirling a design into at the words from the newest customer to walk into the shop. Then he registered the name of his competitor, the chain that had just closed for renovations because they were adding another floor, and fire coiled under his skin.

That tall bastard with the weird purple hair and fancy suit didn’t know it yet but Rin was going to woo him if it was the last thing he did. Anything to get another customer away from those smug assholes over at Cafe True Cross.

“Izumo, take over my station real quick, I gotta get some stuff from the back.”

“Seriously, Rin?”

Rin ignored her griping to rush into the kitchen. He had all the newest baked goods sitting on the rack to cool, just some things he’d been playing around with adding to the display case and, he’d been told, smelled amazing. Well, they’d originally been meant as a special treat for himself for his lunch break, but needs must, after all.

He came back to find the guy in line, bored gaze scanning the menu while Izumo waited with her customer service smile painted on her face. Beneath it, he could see a faint tightness to her features, like she was nervous, and Rin frowned.

She'd handled plenty of obnoxious customers with her typical attitude that sent them running with an extra tip for her efforts. Rin trusted her over both Bon and Shima, the latter who would let customers walk all over him to avoid conflict and the former who had lost his cool on numerous occasions.

So seeing Izumo nearly sweating beneath the presence of this newest customer had Rin smiling to show teeth as he came around the counter.

"Hi! Welcome to the Blue Devil, we've got some fresh baked items we're trying out for today if you'd like to take a look." He set the covered tray down with a solid clack, smiling the whole time as he subtly flicked his fingers at Izumo to tell her he had it.

Green eyes--slit-pupiled, _demonic_ \--swept over his form like the guy was sizing him up. Rin straightened his spine and kept his body language calm. That was the best way to handle the full demons.

A smile began to stretch in a slow slide, just the barest hint of fangs peeking from his lips.

"Yes, I think I will, it all smells divine."

Was that supposed to be a pun? Rin ignored it, waiting.

After some deliberation, a claw came to tap on the glass over his selection--the blueberry muffin he'd made using his own recipe--and Rin nodded. “Great, do you want that heated? And can I get a drink order started for you?”

With his luck, it would be some horribly complicated order with ten different syrups dumped into it for flavor because demons all seemed prone to excess no matter what form it came in.

"Hm, yes, _heated,_ " the demon drummed his claws to the counter in a slow pattern, "and why don't you surprise me."

He could do that. "Sure thing!"

It would let him snag this guy as a reoccurring customer if he got it right. Rin whipped around, muffin handed to Izumo as he went to the line-up. Luckily it was slow, being the lull between the morning rush and the lunch crowds, so he had time to work his magic.

Let's see, unnecessarily fancy suit, check. Weird purple hair that definitely wasn’t dyed, check. Radiated power like a furnace and made Rin’s nose itch, check. This guy was one giant exaggeration and probably took the usual demonic excess to new heights.

Rin knew what he was going to make.

There may have been edible glitter added to the concoction by the time Rin finished, an internal cackle at his creation he placed the final touches on before setting it down alongside the heated muffin.

“That’ll be five bucks,” Rin said, staring with intent and a bit of challenge as he leaned over the counter, “But if you don’t like it, next drink is on me. You’re gonna like it, though.”

A grin cracked its way onto the guy’s face as he took the drink. “Is that a wager? I’ll accept.”

“Yeah,” Rin answered, tail fighting beneath his shirt to wag in anticipation.

Lips touched to the rim of the coffee cup, nose hidden by the towering whipped cream, and Rin held his breath.

Pupils slivered, and a glow started up in green irises. He broke from the cup.

“Magnificent!”

Yes! Score. Rin beamed, letting out a pleased hum and fighting not to wiggle in place.

“I believe I lost the wager,” came the wry words from lips twisted into an equally as wry smile. Whipped cream had attached itself to his nose, and Rin watched as he swiped it away with the tapered tip of his long tongue before reaching towards Rin. “I’ll be returning. Here, your winnings.”

In the next moment, money appeared between clawed fingers before it wound up slipped into the pocket of Rin’s apron-front, patting there as if checking it was secured. Rin blinked, they left his body, the guy giving a light wave as he went with his muffin and drink.

His heart thudded, and Rin stared after him long after the ring of the bell on the door faded in the air.

“What the hell, Rin?” A hiss jerked him from his stare and Rin turned to see Izumo with crossed arms, looking like she was about to vibrate out of her skin as she practically growled, “Do you know who that was?”

That stopped him short. “Uh, no? Am I supposed to? Is he a celebrity or something?”

It was definitely possible. They lived in a massive city and got plenty of tourists.

"You're so-ugh!" Izumo rolled her eyes, hands thrown up. "You've got senses, right? Eyes? That was Mephisto Pheles."

"Er, is that a real name?" It sounded as outlandish as the guy had looked. "Like it's not a stage name or whatever?"

Izumo's hands curled like she would strangle him before she huffed a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. "That was _Samael_ , demon king Samael, second in Gehenna Samael, demon king of space and _time_ Samael. Ring any bells?"

It did ring bells, every one of them in Rin's head as he laughed and leaned back on the counter, waving away the miffed glare Izumo shot his way.

“You know I don’t pay attention to any of that stuff, Izumo.” Didn’t pay attention, and tried to avoid at all costs, actually.

"You're impossible," Izumo said, giving up on him to wipe down the stations. She'd stopped looking nervous, though, so Rin was satisfied.

He returned to work, passing time until Shima's entrance called his attention.

"Hey man," Shima slapped his phone to the counter, "got a whole list of delivery orders, get cracking! Oh hey, Izumo, looking fine as ever."

"I'm your boss," Rin said, grumbling but going through the list of orders as he ignored the usual spat Izumo fell into with Shima.

"So, got any plans today, Rin?" Shima's casual question took Rin from the mindless process of drink prep.

"Yeah!" he grinned, "Shiemi is coming over after work, we're gonna check out some new shop or something."

The expected sly waggle of Shima's brows didn't stop the excitement Rin felt. Shiemi was always busy nowadays with her new job, so any time they got to hang out was a good day in Rin's books.

“Still, you’re just going shopping? Doesn’t seem like fun to me,” Shima said, muttering something after Rin picked up as “Not much of a date.”

Rin chose to ignore it. “She’s been really excited about this one. I don’t know anything about it though.”

“Speaking of not knowing anything,” Izumo chimed in, grinning in a way Rin knew meant he was about to get mocked and making him fight a sigh. He was never going to live that encounter down. “Our genius boss over here just pulled another one.”

And the gossiping began.

Shima leaned over, looking practically giddy as Izumo relayed the encounter.

“I definitely wasn’t that bad,” Rin said, setting down the deliveries for Shima, “and I got him to say he’s coming back! That’s another one I got away from that low quality, pre-packaged, over-priced…”

“We know, we know, you’ve got a personal vendetta against our university’s cafe,” Izumo interrupted him with an eye roll. Her expression turned wicked, and if she’d been a demon, there would be fang in her smile. “More importantly, he was totally flirting with you.”

“ _No,_ ” Shima gasped in exaggeration, “another admirer after his tail?”

“Dammit, guys,” this again. Rin glared, “the customers aren’t flirting, they’re just being polite. And besides, I thought Izumo was the one getting the obnoxiously flirty customers all the time?”

“Not the point,” Izumo continued, “the _point_ is who was doing the flirting.”

She paused for effect, Shima looked like he’d erupt at any moment.

“Mephisto Pheles. Walked into _our_ little shop,” Shima’s eyes widened and Rin squeezed his shut, waiting for the explosion. “And then bossman here goaded him straight into a bet.”

“No way!” Shima squealed, bouncing in place when Rin opened his eyes to see if they’d decide to end his misery.

“And-and! The cherry on top was him slipping the cash into Rin’s pocket while Rin just stood there like an idiot,” Izumo finished in a cackle Shima joined.

“Ok, ok, whatever, he’s a demon, they’re just like that,” Rin shoved the deliveries into Shima’s arms, “it doesn’t mean he was serious or actually flirting

“Pft, yeah, what demons do you hang out with?”

The comment from Izumo was a good point, but Rin wasn’t going to acknowledge it. “I do so hang out with demons. I’ve got Kuro!”

“That’s one, and he’s your familiar, barely counts,” Shima called from where he’d started towards the door.

“And having demon ancestry doesn’t mean I count either,” Izumo added, getting a thumbs up from Shima before Rin’s glare sent him out the rest of the way. “And you can’t count yourself!”

Another person arrived so Rin muttered from between his customer service smile as he welcomed them in. “Yeah, yeah, so maybe I don’t. Still doesn’t mean anything except we got a new regular.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

* * *

A final group of grad students left, taking their computers and allowing Rin to hand the shifts over to Bon and Godaiin just as Shiemi waved at him from outside the window.

“Hey!” Rin said, grinning and getting a hug from Shiemi before they began walking, “So where’s this place you’re all excited about?”

Shiemi buzzed with energy, falling into conversation immediately.

“Nearby! Or-not too far, but it’s not a bad trip at all,” at Rin’s assurance that he didn’t mind the walk, she continued, “I heard about it from Nee, it’s been centuries since it’s been here in Assiah.”

“Centuries?” Rin blinked, trying to puzzle it out and why Shiemi’s familiar would be the one to know about the shop’s opening. “It’s a demon shop?”

“Mhm,” she said as her hands came to fist at her chest with her excitement, “Nee heard it through the grapevine

That probably wasn’t a pun, but Rin could never be sure with Shiemi, even after the years of growing up together.

“Rin, have you heard from Yuki?”

Shaking himself from memories, Rin answered, “Yeah, he’s been busy though, that guy’s got a serious caffeine problem lately. He used to be way healthier about it with those nasty ginseng drinks.”

“Poor Yuki,” Shiemi sighed, leading them another block over through the city towards the train line Rin used to get home. His shop was just before the outskirts and a bit of a walk from the nearest station--the only thing he could afford rent on until he could build business--so they had left the towering skyscrapers and crowds of tourists for emptier streets and residential quarters.

Shiemi boarded behind Rin, shuffling to their seats.

"I should send him some calming teas," she determined.

"A care package is a great idea! I can send him some stuff too, he's probably living off convenience store lunches this whole time," Rin said as he thought about Yukio's tendency to ignore basic needs when he was busy, never mind his complete inability to cook anything.

"When is he coming home next?" Shiemi asked, "I wanted to visit with your parents."

Rin sighed, "You know you can just visit them, right? You're basically their favorite kid at this point."

Their favorite kid, and the one who gave them the least amount of trouble, for sure.

His reminder just got a giggle from Shiemi.

"It wouldn't be the same without you both there, Rin."

Ok, that was fair. He liked it when they were all together, too.

The rest of the ride passed, Rin barely noticing the scenery as they talked until they reached their destination. A lone other passenger getting off with them at the sleepy station.

Cicadas hummed in the fields around them, a comforting sound as Shiemi summoned her familiar.

Nee appeared in a soft poof of smoke, delighted squeaks and chirps tumbling from the small greenman’s form as it nuzzled to Shiemi’s neck before settling.

“Show us the way, Nee!”

A chirp and the familiar leapt from her shoulder, beginning to walk down the road and into town. Traditional houses made up the area they moved through, much smaller than Rin’s hometown. In the distance, he heard dogs barking and people going about their lives and tried to imagine why a demon shop would open up in this out of the way place.

Soon, they took a dusty path lined with aged and crumbling buildings before coming to a stop at a two-story.

Immediately, Rin stopped, blinking in a flutter of lashes as his instincts kicked into gear. They'd been roused by something, though he couldn't put his finger on it, nothing on the surface giving him a reason for the raised hairs on his neck.

It felt almost like earlier when…

"This is the place!" Shiemi said, already going up to the door with a bright smile on her face.

Well, she had said it was a demon shop, and Rin didn't go to so many of those. Shrugging, he entered, inhaling to bring the scent of earth and green, growing things he couldn't place beyond a sense of life seeping out from every corner.

"Woah," Rin gaped at the inside of the shop. "It's a jungle in here!"

Chaos spread out to block exactly how big the shop was on the inside. Twisting his head had Rin startling back as a leaf from one of the trailing plants hanging from the ceiling brushed his cheek.

"It's amazing." Shiemi's awe brought Rin to see she'd bowed closer to what he could barely make out as a shelf beneath the weight of the plants it carried.

Some of them looked soft to the touch, and Rin couldn't stop the impulse to reach out.

"Ah! Rin, no!" The alarmed cry paused him, Shiemi’s hands snapping to drag his back just as he'd been about to caress the leaves.

"Not that one, Rin," she heaved a sigh of relief and Rin drew his hand away.

"Er, what's wrong with that one?" He looked at the innocent little plant with new wariness, edging away from it.

"That's a Gympie Gympie." The name sounded made up but the seriousness that she said it with made him reconsider. "It's one of the most dangerous plants in the world."

“Right,” Rin drew out, deciding he wouldn’t be touching a single plant in the shop, not about to question Shiemi’s weirdly specific knowledge of every plant under the sun, even the deadly ones. They all had their hobbies.

He stepped back to the relative safety of the walkway and ran straight into something.

Or someone.

Rin had a second to feel his nerves prickle a warning before a solid warmth halted him in his tracks. A nose pressed itself to his neck and inhaled. His fangs itched to extend in his mouth at the threat, and his body tensed, heartrate slowing as he prepared to get distance.

The presence pulled away in an immediate lessening of pressure that allowed Rin to breathe, whipping around to see what, exactly, had made itself comfortable in his personal space.

Gold eyes peered into his from an empty expression. Hair swept up into a strange point on his head that looked like a horn and faded into the environment because it was _green_ completed the strange picture and Rin realized he was looking at a full demon--nothing half or diluted about him--for the second time that day.

Were they coming out of the woodworks or something? Was he wearing a sign? A lure? Rin had to fight to keep his hackles down as he let the demon size him up. Then he did a double-take, mind catching up to his eyes as his instincts receded.

 _Oh no._ Rin squeezed his hands into fists, wishing he’d stepped back further instead of doing the usual demon posturing because it meant he was still within range to feel the heat from the lithe body.

_He’s hot._

“Uh, hey, uh,” Rin stuttered to the unimpressed stare and raised brow, “is this your shop?”

Silence echoed him, swallowed in the dense growth.

Shiemi saved the day, stepping beside Rin with a smile on her face as she bowed her head in a nod. “Excuse me, I saw you have some varieties of Gehennian Campion and I’d like to ask if you have more in that family here.”

A snort and short shake of the demon’s head dispelled the tension. He stepped down the brick-lined floor, roughened and covered in enough dust Rin thought they might as well have not left the outdoors.

Without comment from the demon, they made it to a new corner and Shiemi gasped, eyes lighting up as she practically cooed over the delicate flowering plant. It looked like a regular flower to Rin, definitely not something to get excited about, and he couldn’t have said why it was so interesting that had Shiemi asking for the price right after.

“Take it, I don’t care,” the demon said, the picture of apathy, “If you can keep it alive a week outside of my attention, you can have another plant from the shop.

“Oh!” Shiemi squeaked, ducking her head to bow again, “Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“What?” Rin said, baffled and trying to understand how the shop functioned at all, “I don’t get it, it’s just some kind of flower, right?”

Shiemi jerked her head up and sputtered, wringing her hands in her sleeves like she couldn’t get the words out.

“You don’t know anything, do you?” the demon said with a twitch of his lips into what Rin thought was a smirk, something faintly amused or mocking hiding there.

But, he was right, Rin and plants had passing familiarity. He knew which ones went into a meal and he was happy with that.

“Hah, I mean, plants are her thing, I can’t keep anything alive.” He had numerous attempts to keep cooking herbs alive to prove it, much to Shiemi’s distress. “I don’t want to get something cool from here and then kill it.”

“Hm, alright,” a gleam entered gold eyes as he raised his fingers to snap, smoke poofing around them until it dissipated to reveal a deep green stone that had chipped to give it a resemblance to a ragged leaf. “Keep this tourmaline without losing it, you can manage that, right?”

“Uh,” Rin mumbled, hand coming out on automatic to accept the green stone pressed into his palm. Dagger-like black claws pricked him where they scraped and sent Rin’s nerves sparking as they withdrew. He pulled out a sucker from wherever he had pulled the stone from and rolled it between his fangs in faint clacking sounds.

“Ok, I won’t lose it,” Rin said when his mind rebooted, gaze caught on the stone warming his skin.

“Thank you,” Shiemi kept her excitement contained to just the wide smile that wouldn’t leave her face, clutching the potted plant to her chest like it was the most precious thing in the world. “I’d still like to look around and see the rest of the shop, if it’s alright with you.”

The hand not holding the sucker waved them away, and Rin joined Shiemi in wandering the shop, though he split off when she became enraptured by another plant he couldn’t identify.

It was peaceful, the sounds of the outside world muffled by the dense growth surrounding Rin in a self-contained world.

Despite the peace, his body refused to relax, a sense of being watched following him that he couldn’t shake. Like some big cat stalked him through a jungle. He let it be, choosing to focus on the random things hidden between plants he wasn’t sure were for sale--or if anything in the shop was actually for sale in the usual way he was used to.

In his pocket, the stone burned, and he resisted running his fingers to it the same way he kept away from touching any plants. No matter how soft and fuzzy and fun to touch they looked.

He'd just started rolling his shoulders as if that would lessen the weight between them when Shiemi's voice rang out.

"Ok, Rin, I'm ready to go if you are!"

Very pointedly, Rin _didn't_ run to the door, keeping an easy posture and his hands relaxed at his sides.

"Goodbye, thank you!"

They were out, Rin released a whoosh of breath, getting a curious stare from Shiemi he waved off

"That was…" he started to say.

"That was incredible!" Shiemi gushed, stars in her eyes as her hands came to grip Rin's arm, shaking him while they walked. “There’s varieties I’ve only ever heard of in there!”

Her enthusiasm took Rin from his strange mood and he grinned. “Yeah, and you just have to keep that flower alive for a week, right? That’ll be a piece of cake for you!”

“Mmhmm,” Shiemi began filling the air with her store of knowledge and plans for the next time she would return to the shop.

Rin’s grin faded to a soft smile, letting her talk as they made their way back to the station.

She had been given a week to keep the plant alive before she could get a second one, Rin remembered, hearing the challenge hidden beneath the apathy in the demon’s voice.

But…

A sweep of his eyes over the map of the train lines showed him the direct route from his shop, to this shop, to his home.

There was no reason he couldn’t also stop by. It was on the way, after all.

His gaze stayed on the sight of the town until they left it behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may all have questions, those may or may not get answered in following chapters~ But also this chapter is hella short, what’s up with that :O
> 
> Imma attempt to make this my Nanowrimo fic too so wish me luck bc I am gonna need it, guys, already like 2k behind ahahahahaaaaaaaa T.T


	2. Closed on a Tuesday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow, would you look at that, Rin has leftovers from the day. He shouldn't let those go to waste! Maybe a certain somebody might be interested as thanks for the earlier gift.
> 
> Meanwhile, Mephisto has a mildly concerning phone call, and there's a conspiracy afoot right under Rin's nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I've started another excruciating slow burn wtf 😂
> 
> Also another short chapter but it's nice that this one flew by so quickly and I'm finding my groove in this au lol Imma need it for nano bc I'm still like 3 k from where I should be for the month T.T
> 
> Song of the chapter: Give Me Something by The Man Who

A new day in the timeline dawned.

Not that Mephisto had slept the night before, the reasons including but not limited to: needing to complete the new dating simulator he’d been waiting on the release of for centuries, working through his thousands of emails from multiple business endeavors he refused to sort, the seventeen cup noodles he’d devoured, and-

Mephisto inhaled, snapping himself into his chosen suit for the day and summoning Belial.

-He had been considering blue eyes and striking, ink-dark hair over an impish smile.

Some kind of nephilim. He was certain of that, or he'd eat his tail. It was evident from the faint glow of red in the pupils and the clear points of needle-tip fangs flashing behind curled lips.

"Where to, sir?" Belial's question called him from his thoughts. He'd allowed him one day to "vacation" out of the goodness of his heart and now Mephisto thought he might be thankful for it because it meant he'd discovered a potential source of entertainment for the foreseeable future.

"I've discovered a new stop while you were out enjoying your time off," he said as he gave the address of that hole in the wall shop that nevertheless exuded a sense of warmth he'd be hard pressed to find in the more upscale places he usually frequented.

It was far enough away through city traffic that he had time for one important conversation.

The phone rang, and Lucifer answered, placid gaze staring back from the screen, “Hello, Samael.”

“Lucifer, dear,” Mephisto said in a drawl, “You’ve been a busy bee. Those price increases on foreign goods were cruel of you.”

Annoying, more like. Ever since Lucifer had won his newest election, he’d been ruthless in his trade deals. Mephisto debated exploring the timeline he decided to run for leadership of the country his territory resided in just so he could enact similar annoyances.

"This is necessary for global prosperity for the humans," came the sanctimonious echo from the other end. How it worked to enthrall the humans would continue to be a mystery to Mephisto.

"Your ventures will recover in time as they always do."

Yes, yes, of course they would. And it wasn't like he was truly hurting, but it was the spirit of the matter! Their little competitions had only shifted once he'd solved Lucifer's vessel problem, cutting it off before the insanity set in. Now, with demons allowed ability to enter human elections once every hundred years after their last term, Lucifer had set his visionary goals on moulding humanity that way instead of his more destructive methods he’d employed in...messier timelines.

"It'll just come out of your birthday gift," Mephisto said instead. "Speaking of, I've been unable to reach Beelzebub, has he gone down one of his rabbit holes again?"

Lucifer's eyes narrowed, breaking from the apathy and telling Mephisto his answer before he spoke.

"No, but I assume his network would be in a buzz if something were amiss."

So did Mephisto, which was why he hadn't looked further into it, used to the frequent radio silence from the lowest amongst the Ba'al. Gossip though he was, his tendency to vanish made this far from unusual.

"Our busy bee must be burrowing for the season, then," Mephisto said, ending the conversation, though his mind wouldn't settle.

What he needed was a distraction. One presented itself as they turned the corner and idled in front of his destination.

"Wait here," he instructed, exiting the car and straightening his suit as he entered the coffee shop.

On entering, a dark head of hair raised, startled as vibrant eyes appraised him before the girl blurted a "one moment, please," and darted to the back room of what he assumed was a combination of small kitchen and storage.

A moment passed and two forms stumbled out through the curtains. His distraction had arrived.

Mephisto smiled, demure as he made his opening move.

“Guten morgen~” he approached the counter, smile broadening at the way those odd red pupils zeroed in on his face, “I’m looking forward to what you’ll surprise me with today.”

The chance that this was a one off and he’d need a new source of entertainment always existed, though he thought he would uncover a few interesting things before that happened.

As if to challenge his doubts, the endearing nephilim straightened under his stare, refusing to be cowed, though he must have felt his power, recognized him for what he was. The girl certainly had. His gaze slid to her and he saw her hide a flinch.

"Morning!" the bright reply didn't sound forced at all. So, the nephilim really wasn't afraid. "Yeah I've got something in mind, take your pick."

At the wide gesture to the display case, Mephisto hummed and leaned in. Really, he didn't need to, but it was one of those things meant to mimic human mannerisms and he enjoyed the performance more than most.

Although, where were his _manners?_ “I realize I haven’t asked your names yet.”

If he was going to be frequenting this place he should get to know the staff, it was only polite.

“Izumo,” the girl said as she shifted her long hair aside to reveal the name tag on her uniform.

“Wha-oh!” the nephilim gasped, patting at his shirt, “I forgot my name-tag again, dam-uh.”

“It’s Rin. Rin Okumura,” he said while a blush reddening his cheeks and he rubbed at the back of his neck, “Er, and what’s your name?”

What? Mephisto blinked, frown tugging his lips as he cocked his head.

“Rin,” Izumo hissed under her breath and jerked her elbow into his side in a display of embarrassment for his social faux pas, though she tried to hide it from Mephisto’s gaze, “I told you yesterday, are you kidding me?”

Oh, this was charming, and unexpected. Mephisto laughed and bowed, smiling up at Rin from beneath his lashes as he introduced himself formally, “I am Mephisto Pheles, or Samael, and you may call me Mephisto.”

It was rare he discovered someone who hadn’t at least heard his name before, let alone a nephilim--and in his own territory, too!

They’d have _more_ than enough time to get acquainted.

“Now, what will you show me today, Rin?” he deliberately played with the name on his tongue, savoring the way it rolled off and made those pointed ears twitch.

The pastry selection was as good as any he’d seen in bakeries throughout both the world and time, if a little simplistic, in part, he was sure, because of finances and manpower needed to run a full bakery. It didn’t stop the tantalizing scents from reaching him, all, he was sure, crafted by Rin, given the pride he took.

He’d discovered a gem in the current century. Now, he just had to hone it from the rough to reveal its true lustre.

Sound at the door pulled him from Rin’s run-down of their menu to see another human enter.

“Hey, Shima!” Rin broke away to wave, “It’s a slow morning, just a few orders scheduled in for an hour from now so you’re good to hang out a bit, help Izumo.”

Nervous eyes and a shifty expression marked the human. Hadn’t anyone ever told him not to show fear in front of a demon? Mephisto smiled his way and enjoyed the spike of a pulse it caused.

“Uh, yeah, got it, Rin,” Shima said, though his gaze wouldn’t leave Mephisto as he went past, taking as wide a berth as the shop would allow. “‘Scuse me, sir.”

Sir. How cute. He nodded. This one most certainly recognized him, as the girl, Izumo, had.

“Right, so you want to take your chances on another random drink or do you want to choose this time?” Rin’s question brought him from the little bout of intimidation he’d enjoyed to another of his favorite hobbies.

“I love a good bet, what will you offer this time, Rin?” There were few things Mephisto enjoyed more than his wagers, whether against human or demon. They entertained him between greater goals.

“Heh,” Rin’s sharpening smile said he also enjoyed the challenge. _Wonderful._ “I bet you’re going to like this one more than the last, and if I’m right, it’s another five bucks. If not, I’ll have to keep guessing the next few days until I get it right.”

Luring him like the best wil’o’wisp, a bright flame the color of Rin’s eyes that tugged him in every time they flashed his way.

“I accept.”

And he would be taking the apple tart he saw in the display, he’d decided, indicating it to Rin and settling back to wait.

Shima had gone into the safety of the storage room, but Mephisto could practically sense him peering from behind the curtain and it stretched the benign smile further on his face.

“So,” Mephisto began the small talk, wondering what it would reveal to him about his new toy’s character, “what brought you to create this enterprise?”

“Huh?” Rin blinked over his shoulder, then sniffed and dropped the plate with the heated tart onto the counter, nose turned up and scowling.

“Oh here we go,” Izumo muttered, not looking up from the cleaning she’d started doing while Rin handled his order.

“I’m not a smart guy,” Rin’s careless wave of his hand and brisk actions had Mephisto frowning, guessing at where the plot was moving. “So college wasn’t for me. I dropped out, took a couple jobs doing line cooking, didn’t take orders well, got fired.”

“But,” Rin whirled in a flurry to present Mephisto’s drink with a daring grin, “I went to visit my brother at school, found out he was living off the nastiest, pre-packaged, reheated, no soul-”

Coughing from Izumo had Rin shaking his head from his rant he’d gone on to stand back with straight shoulders and confidence. “Anyway, I figured if _that_ place could stay open and make business, _anything_ I made was gonna be leagues better and I put money down on this place and here we are!”

“I see,” Mephisto took the drink, enjoying the pleased tilt to Rin’s jaw as he brought it to his lips. He drank, eyes shuttering as flavor exploded on his tongue, and a low hum of his own pleasure welling up when he could find the discipline to not drain the entire thing like some sort of savage.

His eyes opened on Rin’s outspread hand, laid out over the counter and cocky grin saying he knew the answer to their wager.

Very well, he wouldn’t be going back on his word. He was an honest demon, after-all.

“That’s two out of two for our little bets,” Mephisto said anyway, he could be gracious when he was getting what he wanted. “Will you be so lucky the next time?”

“You’re on,” Rin said without hesitation.

“ _Good._ ” Mephisto hid his purr and summoned his losings to his hand. Then, keeping his gaze on Rin’s, placed it in his open palm and, before he could pull away, pressed his fingers until they curled around the money. He made sure to keep the weight and heat of his hand over the one he’d captured, watching to be sure he’d landed the desired effect--there, a pinning of Rin’s pupils, hand twitching beneath his--and released his hold.

“Thank you, Rin,” Mephisto said, satisfied with a play well made as he left for the rest of his day.

That had proven the exact distraction he’d needed.

* * *

Shima grabbed Izumo as soon as she made it through the curtains into the back room, speaking up at the same instant she did as Rin took the next customer who’d come in after a certain _demon king of space and time_ left.

“Holy shit, Izumo-”

“-I know!”

His hands came up to plead with her, “Please tell me we have a betting pool going. Can we start one? Here.”

He dug into his pocket and came out with a couple coupons to his favorite food stand and the remainders of his last paycheck. Shima would be getting paid today anyway off the delivery tips, this was way more important.

Luckily, it looked like Izumo was game as she nodded. “My bet’s on Rin not even realizing he’s being flirted with, even after he’s told from multiple sources, until he’s given up on for hopeless a few months in.”

“That’s so harsh, dude,” Shima muttered, feeling for their poor boss and his romantic prospects if he kept assuming people were just being _nice_ and not the blatant flirting everyone around him could see it for.

“Yeah?” Izumo sniffed, one of those previous blatant flirters, much as she refused to admit it when Shima teased her. “So, what’s your bet, huh?”

Crossing his arms and smirking at her disgruntlement, Shima slammed his bet on the small staff-room table by the back window. “I think this gambler’s not going to take a challenge lying down, did you see how happy he was when Rin just straight told him to his face he was going to lose? He lives for the thrill of it, he’s probably never lost a real challenge in his entire existence!”

“So,” Shima said and pointed his finger with drama and poise towards an unimpressed Izumo, “Rin’s going to last six months of the most painfully obvious, top-tier demonic seduction techniques anyone has ever witnessed before he falls and hits his head on a clue and they live happily ever after. No question.”

“Six months? You know we’re just a hole in the wall coffee shop and this guy is probably looking at us like we’re less than ants, right?” Izumo rolled her eyes, crossed arms of her own as she put her own bet down--actual money and not the rumpled bills Shima had dug from his pocket. “He was around at the dawn of time, there’s no way someone who doesn’t show interest is going to keep him around when he’s gonna have way more things to distract him in his life.”

That might have been the more realistic option but, “Come on, Izumo, where’s your sense of romance? I know I saw those shoujo titles on your phone that one time, you can’t hide it.”

“Shut up! I did not, those were just the newest novels out!”

He patted her shoulder, ignoring the hissed swipe from her and getting the bet jar out to drop theirs into, setting it down in a firm statement, confident in his chances this time. He knew a character when he saw it, there was no way he was losing.

“See ya’ Izumo, got my deliveries,” he said, waving as he left. “Go protect lover boy from the other customers, ok? I want to collect on this one.”

They just had to get the others in on the bet and he’d _really_ have something to take home when this was all over.

“Hey, Rin,” and there was the adorable blink of those baby blues that sunk so many hearts that walked into their shop. Shima hid a fond sigh, shaking his phone, “you got those orders?”

“You’re good to go, man,” Rin said with his usual bright cheer, nudging the bagged orders on the counter.

“Cool, see ya’,” Shima’s grin went wicked as he went to the door, calling out, “Try not to let any more demons fall for you while I’m gone, ok?”

“Dammit, get out of here,” Rin’s curse echoed behind him as he let the door shut on his cackles.

* * *

Rin heaved a breath once he’d finished chasing Shima off, scrubbing at his hair and shooting Izumo an irritated stare she stared back at with complete unrepentance.

It definitely wasn’t like that, no matter what they kept teasing him about. Demons were simple, when it came right down to it. They liked poking for weakness and testing everyone around them until they got an interesting reaction. His mom had cheerfully gotten that into his head, and she was the best demon tamer he knew.

Izumo subsided as the normal lunch crowd poured in, the both of them busy all the way up until it came time to switch their shifts.

For some reason, though, as Rin packed his stuff, taking some the pastries from the previous day that hadn’t sold with him, Izumo had dragged a confused Bon and Godaiin to the back.

The curtain snapped behind their retreating forms, but Rin gave up wondering.

A loud meow broke him from concern for his friend’s antics.

“Kuro!” Rin knelt to bring his familiar into his arms, inhaling into the soft black fur between the pointed cat ears that flicked at the sensation as they started their walk to the station. “Decided to pick me up, huh?”

“Yeah, who knows, one of these days you might get lost without me, Rin,” Kuro said with a haughty purr as Rin kept up the petting.

“Hey, if that ever happens take care of Shiemi for me, you know how worried she gets,” he laughed at the affronted glare and paw batting at his fingers for the suggestion that he might actually get lost in his own city.

“Shiro told me to protect you,” Kuro grumbled to his chest when they made it to their seats on the train home.

“Aw man, seriously? He still acts like I’m fifteen,” Rin said as he propped his chin into his palm. “He doesn’t do this to Yukio.”

“Yukio works all day, I wouldn’t get to see him, anyway.”

They both sighed at that, knowing Yukio’s schedule wasn’t unusual in his field, but wishing he had more free-time than he did.

His gaze went to the window, hand idly rubbing at the fur over Kuro’s shoulders where he curled into a ball in his lap to spend the ride, the twin tails twitching against his legs. It freed him up to take in how close to home they were.

Familiar scenery, not that it hadn’t been before, but especially so after the day before, focused Rin as he bit at his lips.

“Hey, Kuro,” Rin tapped the little shoulder, gaining Kuro’s sleepy attention, as he made an impulsive decision, “Let’s get off here real quick.”

“What’s here?” Kuro voiced his confusion, hopping to Rin’s shoulder and glancing at the window.

“Just a shop I checked out with Shiemi yesterday.”

“Oh yeah, you told me. The dangerous flower shop? I didn’t think you liked plants,” Kuro said and peered down the road to the town once they made it off the train.

He knew, technically, the demon whose name he hadn’t gotten was happy with his form of payment, but Rin never liked feeling like he had debts to others.

“Yeah, but I thought it might be fun to show you it, it’s a demon shop.”

The dusty road to the shop appeared as Rin shrugged off the question from Kuro, happy he somehow remembered the way. In such a small town, it wasn’t like it was too difficult.

“Uh, Rin,” Kuro said when they came to a stop. “I think it’s closed.”

A door stared back at them, dark through the windows of the shop beside it, and signs of life limited to the green plants he could see on the doorsteps. As if to make an even clearer point, a sign on the door written in bold red lettering on black slate repeated Kuro.

“No way,” Rin yelped, walking up to the sign and huffing to send his bangs out from his disbelieving scowl, “It’s like, middle of the day! Who closes this early on a Tuesday?”

“I don’t think this demon keeps a set schedule, Rin,” came the wry response from Kuro to his rhetorical question.

“I guess not,” Rin sighed, giving up as he realized he probably shouldn’t expect the typical nine-to-five store hours for a shop that only appeared in Assiah every couple centuries or whatever Shiemi had said.

“Come on, guess we’ll have these pastries to ourselves today.”

“You were going to give those to someone else?” The betrayal in Kuro’s voice had Rin laughing. “What’s that demon done to deserve them, anyway?”

“Just thought I’d pay him back for the cool rock he gave me, besides, you get pastries every day.”

“And every day they’re good!”

Rin continued the banter with Kuro and let it push back the strange disappointment.

Next time, the shop would definitely be opened next time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you sense the coming storm on the horizon? Mephisto is thinking Rin is just the cute “mortal unafraid of the eldritch monster” otp ship dynamic. Thinks~


	3. What are the Odds?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Koneko is a numbers shark and Amaimon gets his just desserts. Mephisto’s trying his hardest, but it’s just not gonna cut it~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Movie references abound in this one lmao, In this and the next chapter alone I’ll have referenced 101 Dalmations, Chocolat, and Holes XD Just pulling those romance tropes outta the classics to write this au ;D
> 
> Song of the Chapter: Sweet Tooth by Scott

This time, Rin was ready.

He wiped down the counter, eyes on the door, waiting.

His fingers tapped to the newly cleaned surface as he strained his ears for the distinct sound Rin knew meant one thing.

An engine rumbled in the distance. He perked up.

"You know you're watching the door like some kind of dog, right?" Izumo drawled.

“What? Am not,” Rin said without looking at her.

The engine sound neared until the bright pink limo turned the corner and parked in front of the entrance. Rin bounced on his toes, heels rolling and tail twitching beneath his shirt when the increasingly familiar form stepped from the car.

Izumo’s mutter of “unbelievable” didn’t detract from his grin when Mephisto entered.

“I have a bet for you,” Rin said before the usual greeting passed Mephisto’s lips, watching them stretch in a matching grin. “I was thinking about it last night.”

Light flashed across green eyes as Mephisto approached the counter. “Oh? You were thinking of me?”

“Yeah,” Rin said, caught up in the epiphany he’d had the night before as he was readying for the morning baking at four-am, “You’ve been around awhile, like a long while, which means you’ve probably tried everything under the sun.”

“Are you calling me old, Rin?” Mephisto said, brows arched and huffing a breath that spoke of irritation, “I might be insulted.”

“My bet,” Rin said over him as he let his smile show fang, catching Mephisto’s attention and getting excited for the response his challenge would bring, “is that I’m going to make your favorite drink you’ve ever had and will ever have again.”

Pupils slivered. The grin on Mephisto’s face froze as he took in Rin and his challenge.

“Confident, are you?” Mephisto breathed the words when he recovered, claws tapping in slow motions over the folds of his suit where he’d crossed his arms.

“Yup,” he answered and let the confidence in his voice speak for him despite the way he could see Izumo gaping like she couldn’t believe his nerve. Which, she knew him by now, he’d probably done dumber things.

“Hm, and what are the stakes?” Mephisto’s hum and narrowed gaze brought Rin up as he realized he’d never thought about that point.

“Uh, I guess if I lose,” scratching at his cheek, Rin made up his mind, “you have to keep coming back until I get it right.”

“And if you win? What then?” The way Mephisto said it--like he tested Rin--just made him more determined. He’d be winning this bet if it took everything he had.

Though, what did he want for winning the bet? It wasn’t like he had thought it through.

“Not sure,” Rin shrugged, then laughed with his realization, “but I guess I would have made your favorite drink, so you’ll be coming back here anyway. I’ll figure it out.”

Mephisto shook his head, calculation leaving him as he relaxed, head tilted with his wry smile. “I don’t usually enter into open-ended wagers, but I’ll make an exception for you.”

Rin hid a cheer, giddiness in his movements as he whipped around to begin crafting his masterpiece. Was Mephisto a coffee guy? Tea? Iced or hot? There were so many variations he could try!

He put the metaphorical and literal cherry on top of the frappuccino. It was the perfect combination of sweet, creamy, and the slight bitterness of the blend he’d gone for to balance it out.

“Here, this is definitely it,” Rin said as he waited, locked onto the way Mephisto accepted his drink. There! That was the shudder Rin recognized from the last few times he’d enjoyed his drinks and food, actually from everyone who tried his stuff.

“ _Mmm,_ ” Mephisto moaned, head going back as a long, tapered tongue extended to take the whipped cream from his lips, eyes opening and a sly expression sliding to meet Rin. “It’s very good.”

“But,” he added before Rin could get excited over his victory, “it’s not my favorite.”

“Dammit,” Rin swore as a pout tugged his frown from his face. He’d really thought that one was a winner, based on the success of the last two he’d given Mephisto. “Ah well, that one’s on me then.”

“Nonsense,” the purr in Mephisto’s voice took him from his defeat, and Rin bit at his tongue to cut off the squeak when he found fingers drawing towards his ear, “you’ve earned this for the exemplary service.”

A rasping sensation of paper over the delicate skin of his ear sent Rin shivering, reaching up on automatic to rub it away while Mephisto pulled back. He left, tilting his drink in Rin’s direction with a "goodbye" trailing in his wake.

His hand cupped at his ear, fingers curled over the tip Mephisto had tucked there and trying to calm the flutter in his heart.

“I think I’m going to cancel my streaming subscription,” Izumo said, speaking up from her silent observation and prompting Rin to fumble the money into his apron because he’d totally forgotten she’d been standing there.

“What?” he stumbled through the word, jerking towards her at the random comment.

“Yeah,” she sighed, “your love life drama is way more exciting than any soap opera and cheesy rom-com would ever come up with if they had all the money in the world.”

“Hey!” His shout of affront went unheard.

There was no way it had anything to do with his love life, and besides, Rin had to focus on finding Mephisto’s favorite drink.

He would try something with chocolate in it and see where that got him next time.

* * *

Koneko entered to unmitigated chaos.

Bon and Godaiin wrestled with the latte machine as it spewed frothing milk, their yelps and shrieks bringing winces of sympathy from onlooking customers.

He just sighed, waiting for them to get the constantly malfunctioning machine back under control.

Another thing he would have to discuss with Rin once he gathered the monthly receipts and went over their projected earnings. It would set them back, but it probably wasn't a good look to have broken equipment.

"Sorry for the disturbance," he said, bowing to a woman who looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or offer assistance.

"Ah! Koneko!" Rin's voice rang over Bon's cursing and he waved from the back room. "You made it!"

Well, he had been early, but Rin seemed like he was at least semi-ready for him this time.

Two greetings from Bon and Godaiin interrupted their struggle he responded to as he eased himself around the mess to the back.

"Please tell me we have enough in the budget to replace that thing," Rin moaned as soon as Koneko stepped through the curtain.

"That kinda depends on what you have for me this month, Rin," he put as kindly as possible. He was an accountant, not a magician. Koneko couldn't just pull money out of the ether.

"Er well," Rin dropped stacks of receipts onto the small table.

"Is that unorganized?" Koneko sighed, his question deadpan because he could tell by the poorly concealed guilt on Rin's face that they were.

"It's been a busy week!"

"Well, let's get started," he said as they got to work. He still had to go over expense reports and where they were for the month versus last, projected earnings for the year, and if it looked like they'd be able to get anything back when it came to year-end taxes.

At least things sounded like they'd calmed down by the time they finished sorting and going over options.

But, "I think if we squeeze things a bit you can splurge on the new machine, Rin."

"Yes! You're a lifesaver, Koneko," Rin cheered, looking like he was already imagining the fancy new machine he was going to get.

" _Within_ budget," he stressed just in case Rin's eyes were bigger than his pockets.

Rin’s nod of consent had him smiling, patting his shoulder as he gathered the receipts and papers for filing later. They left the room to find order returned to the chaos, a frazzled Bon tapping out with Rin to deal with the next wave.

“Your days of suffering with ‘The Beast’ are over, Bon,” Koneko said, laughing at the relief in Bon’s groan and the glare he shot the half-functional machine. “I’ll head out then, I’ve got another client to get to.”

“Hang on, ‘Neko,” Bon said and waved him back to the room. Koneko followed, curious and trusting Bon to have a good reason, since he was usually all about punctuality. “Also, it’s good to hear you got another client!”

“Heh, yeah, working here was a lucky break out of school, thanks again for recommending me to Rin.” It had definitely given him a good jumping off start in such a competitive field like accounting.

“Hey, you’re doing clueless over here a favor.” Bon rolled his eyes as he pulled a jar from behind the flour bags. “Speaking of clueless.”

“Oh no, how much is it going to cost?” he preempted, sensing a coming storm, though it could have just been the storm of Bon’s expression he’d learned meant something had interrupted his calm and orderly world.

A grumbled sigh whooshed from Bon as he scrubbed at his hair liked he’d tug the short strands if it were in that old blond mohawk he’d had it in when they were teens and not the more mature of his natural brown he kept it in now.

“Just our sanity,” he said as he indicated the jar full of what looked like pocket money and various coupons. “Shima and Izumo have it in their heads that Rin’s getting hit on by a new regular during morning shifts and they made me promise to get you to put your bet into the pile.”

That sounded like the exact sort of thing that would put that expression on Bon’s face.

“So they want us to bet on Rin’s love life?” he surmised, already beginning the calculations before coming to a quick conclusion. “I’ll need to come in and see this customer to really decide on what I’m going to bet.”

“Oh no, man, you already know ‘em,” Bon said, grin cracking onto his face.

“Someone we know?” Koneko blinked as he ran through their short list of shared acquaintances.

“Not personally,” Bon’s grin twisted into a scowl, the lines in his forehead signaling an oncoming stress-migraine. “A certain numbskull caught the eye of the demon king of time, himself, and I almost want to take my chances at another job because there’s no way this ends well.”

Koneko’s mind caught up with what Bon said and he paused. He raised his head, eyes widening and stomach dropping, trying to go over the sentence as if there was any other possible meaning.

“Did you say…”

Bon nodded slowly, drawing his confirmation out just as slow.

“Yup,” he exaggerated the word, letting it end on a “pop” while Koneko stared at the tip jar like it would offer him another explanation.

“And,” Koneko said after he could get his mouth working again, “Rin’s doing his usual routine, I’m guessing?”

Another nod.

“Oh.” Had he sounded as faint as he felt? Koneko wasn’t built for these stresses.

“So, still wanna come in and see them before you place your bet?”

Actually, “Yes,” Koneko said with a shake of his head. “But, um, maybe from back here. I need to be smart about this, you know?”

His money wouldn’t be going anywhere near an uncertain future. Koneko hadn’t gone to school to get his hard-earned degree for nothing!

“Suit yourself, I don’t care that much,” Bon shrugged, leading them out of the room.

“Hm, then what did you put in the pot?” Something about the way Bon actually told him about the bet said maybe his friend was hiding a bit more interest in this than he was letting on.

“Er,” Bon stuttered, grimacing at Koneko with a shifty-eyed look, “just, you know, half-a-month’s paycheck on Rin doing something that winds up pissing this guy off and we have to peel our boss out of a hole in the wall.”

“I don’t think we have the finances to cover that.”

If that were the case, their bets would be going towards the wall and not the winner.

Koneko would just have to wait and see how things played out before he started budgeting for an emergency wall-fixing fund.

* * *

“Er, was Koneko giving me one of his pity-frowns?” Rin asked Godaiin as they waved Koneko out the door.

“Yeah, don’t know what’s up with that, you do anything recently?”

Why did that sound like Godaiin was hinting at something? Rin eyed him in suspicion but only got the usual easy smile.

“No, not unless he’s still mad I didn’t organize the receipts,” he said before giving up when he still didn’t get anything from Godaiin.

“Looks like things are winding down for the evening anyway, you and Bon good to close?” Rin glanced around at the last stragglers who liked to hang out, knowing they’d wind up staying until closing. Not that he minded. It was nice to see people felt comfortable in his little shop.

“Yeah, where you headed, Rin?”

“Any hot dates planned?” Bon spoke up as he joined them, “You’re rushing out of here pretty fast.”

“Wha-” Rin’s cheeks heated, growling at the smirk Bon shot at him, “No, I just thought I’d get working on finding us a new machine, unless you guys want to keep ‘The Beast’ around.”

A meow interrupted Rin from the unjust mocking he was undergoing and he brightened to see Kuro outside.

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, have fun closing up!" Rin said as they tossed goodbyes his way.

"Two days in a row, huh?" he started, making their way to the station.

Kuro nodded and hopped into Rin's lap when they found their seats, though something about the way he'd dug the points of his claws into his legs as he'd settled said maybe he was upset about something.

"Yeah, you're going to that demon shop again, aren't you?"

His question stopped Rin and he glanced down at the cat-eyes glaring balefully up into his.

Rin smiled and prodded at Kuro until he got a reluctant purr.

"You're not still mad I was gonna bring pastries to that guy and not you, huh, Kuro?"

"No," came the grumble, "just making sure that demon really deserves them."

That got a laugh from Rin and a deepening scowl on Kuro he soothed, though not before replying, "You know, I wasn't even going to go today, I didn't bring anything."

What if the shop was closed again? He'd hesitated, psyching himself out of going because the pointless embarrassment of making his way to an empty shop for the second time in a row kept needling at his mind.

"You have to!" Kuro demanded, affronted, "You told me I might like it."

When he put it like that…

"Ok, boss, I did promise," and it meant he had an excuse today!

Stepping off the train into the wash of the golden evening light, Rin knew it wouldn't be like last time.

Was it just cicadas buzzing in his ears, or the hint of power that stung at his senses?

The usual stream of conversation fell out of Kuro that Rin nodded along to as he once again took them towards the shop.

Just as they made it around the corner, shuffling over the ground reached Rin’s ears. A round shaped rolled further down ahead of them, dark green and panting.

“Oh!” Kuro breathed a gasp, eyes lighting up. “It’s a hobgoblin!”

“Ah-wait!” Rin tried to stop him as he darted towards the demon, watching as Kuro ran ahead while he stumbled behind. _Why_ did he have to think every demon was a potential friend?

A handle turned and the door to the shop opened just as Rin reached it. Too fast to dodge, a body stepped into his path.

“Oof!” he gasped, breath forced from his lungs as a pointed elbow jabbed into him and he tumbled to the ground in a tangle of limbs.

His head rang with the impact to the ground and the distant sound of something shattering added to the confusion as he tried to reorientate himself, giving up and heaving to regain his ability to breathe where he lay.

“Ow,” he groaned when he could. His eyes squinted open on a blur of colors, green filling his field of vision. Then the image snapped back into place and Rin stared.

An impassive blink came from gold eyes over a mouth just beginning to tug downwards into a frown and Rin knew who he’d run into.

“Sorry!” he said in a rasp, containing a cough as he cleared his throat because the last thing he needed was to _cough all over_ the demon he’d just run into like an _idiot._ What was worse, the demon lay across from him, not saying a word to Rin’s apology as he started panicking inside the longer the silence persisted.

That gaze left his to look at something beyond their heads, Rin tilting his and catching what the source of the shattering had been.

“Oh man,” Rin trailed off as he took in the large ceramic pot that lay in pieces on the dirt road, the hobgoblin and Kuro batting shards of it around where they sat across from the pile.

It looked expensive. Like, possibly enough that he wouldn’t be getting that new coffee machine after-all.

“I’m so sorry!” he began again, scrabbling to his knees, “I can repay you, uh, I have a coffee shop, let me make you a drink-or, I have pastries! As apologies! Apology pastries!”

What even was he _saying?_ There was no way a couple pastries were enough to cover the cost of that thing! Rin wanted to stick his head in the dirt road and scream. Before he could backtrack or consider self-combustion, a gleam entered gold eyes, interest flashing in them and replacing the lack of expression in an instant.

“Yes,” the demon said as he rose and hauled Rin to his feet along with him by a firm grip on his arm, “I’m owed apology pastries. Take me to your shop.”

“Er, yeah, sure,” Rin stuttered and followed along, though he didn’t get his arm back, led by the demon more than leading as Kuro and the hobgoblin trotted behind, leaving the broken pot on the ground.

“It’s back in the city, I can pay for your ticket too,” he continued through the unceasing pace, like the demon was a dog after a scent, and Rin the handler on his leash getting pulled after.

“Ok.” An absent shrug and them finally making it to the station left Rin with whiplash as he tried to process what was going on.

It wasn't until they'd sat and the demon turned his bored gaze to the window that it hit Rin.

"Hey uh, I'm Rin, Rin Okumura," he said, kicking himself that it'd taken him so long as he got a raised brow for his efforts. "What's your name? I kinda forgot to ask last time."

He couldn't keep calling him "the demon" because knowing his luck he'd slip up and call him that out loud and was that considered an insult? Rin really sucked at knowing these things.

"Amaimon," the demon answered with a snort.

Amaimon. A-mai-mon. That was so _complicated_ Rin wanted to whine. He could barely remember a normal name let alone that mouthful. He was still worried he'd forget Mephisto's and insult his new regular.

"Amaimon," he said out loud, testing the syllables and repeating it in his head to cement it in place. Hopefully.

Rin occupied himself the rest of the ride trying very hard not to spend the whole time staring. He knew how it made the hairs stand on his own skin when people did the same to him, hackles rising until he got out from under the attention. Or confronted it. That had happened enough times that his mom had made sure to place extra focus on controlling himself in that specific aspect until he'd fully gotten the reaction fully mastered.

More than likely, Amaimon hadn't had the same drilled into him, and it would be just Rin's luck to piss him off when he was trying to apologize.

Would it be weird to tell Amaimon he'd been coming by yesterday? Rin had no idea what he was supposed to talk about, though he usually had no problems talking, but every time he looked at Amaimon's cool expression turned on the window his voice shriveled in a suddenly dry mouth.

Why couldn't he be like Kuro? He definitely didn't seem to have any problems curling up to sleep and not helping Rin at all!

Before he could resign himself to finishing the long ride in complete silence, a cold, wet nose snuffled against his hand.

"Wha-" Rin started petting at the face trying to nuzzle him on automatic, too used to Kuro's demands. Moments into the reflexive movement and he realized it was the hobgoblin.

"Hah," Rin released a soft laugh, happy for the distraction the hobgoblin had provided him with and using both his hands to run over the smooth, lizard-like skin, green scales warm beneath his fingers.

"Hey, you, what's your name?" he cooed, laughing harder when he wound up getting slobbered on by the long tongue as his hands ended up being used as a chew toy.

"Gross, I'm gonna _give_ you food, you can't eat me!"

The urge to toss the hobgoblin like a beach ball filled Rin as he rolled the round demon around the floor by his feet. Knowing how he and Kuro played, Rin would be avoiding that destruction of property.

"Behemoth."

"Huh?" Rin startled at the word from Amaimon, jerking his head up to see him watching with a cocked head and considering eyes.

"Its name is Behemoth."

Oh! Rin grinned, squishing one of the large paw pads between the claws and shaking. "It's good to meet you, Behemoth."

He’d relaxed, though he had to be careful not to disturb Kuro too much or risk his wrath, but Rin was content to spend the rest of the ride rolling Behemoth down the row only to have him return like a game of fetch where the dog was also the ball.

His mood improved and the initial nerves faded when they made it back to the city.

“It’s not super close to the station since rent is kinda high around them, but it’s not a bad walk.” The question of whether it was rude to make a veritable stranger go so far out of their way after he’d broken something flashed across Rin’s thoughts but he ignored it, distracting himself with the way Kuro and Behemoth played along the sidewalk ahead.

Finally, his shop rose into view and Rin went forward to unlock it, humming as he began turning on lights and heading towards the storage room where they kept the things that hadn’t sold for the next day.

“Looks like there’s a decent selection, and I can make you a drink to go with uh-” Rin pulled the tray out, a prickling up his spine, then he looked back and bit off a squeak.

Once again, Amaimon had foregone personal space boundaries and situated himself at Rin’s back to peer over his shoulder at the food.

“Yes, I want a drink,” he said, reaching around Rin like he wasn’t brushing against him in an already small storage room to part a hole in the plastic-wrap with his claws and snag an almond croissant.

“ _Here,_ take whichever you want,” Rin said in a rush as he shoved the tray into Amaimon’s hold and spun out from his almost-grasp-almost-a- _hug_ to make it out into the main room.

Kuro glanced at him with a curious sound Rin laughed off as he made his shaky way behind the counter to get the equipment running. What was wrong with him? Rin cursed himself, forcing his hands to stop trembling by using the familiar motions of prepping a station to regain control.

Amaimon emerged from the back room and Rin stalled on seeing him with a second croissant half-way down his throat. The blank expression had vanished to be replaced by one of clear contentment, Amaimon’s eyes closed to bare slits and a smile tugging his lips over his fangs. A purr rose from his chest as he licked the sugary almond paste from his fingers, already reaching for another pastry.

Wuffing opened his eyes and Amaimon tossed one of the pastries to Behemoth without thought before returning to his own. Then he focused on Rin, tongue slipping out to catch the sticky remains coating his lips.

Rin’s mouth parted on an attempt to speak as he forgot what he was doing.

“Drinks!” he blurted as it came to him, “What kinda drinks do you like? I can make anything.”

Interest drew over Amaimon, though he didn’t take long to answer. “I like sweets, everything.”

One of the last almond croissants waved from Amaimon’s grip as he added, “and I like these the best of yours.”

He liked _those_ the best. Rin nodded, pleased grin stealing across him as he ducked his head to begin crafting what he thought might work. The finishing touch went around the rim of the mug as a frosted dusting of sugar, edging the healthy addition of whipped cream and sprinkling of almond flakes on top before he presented it all to Amaimon.

Claws snatched the drink from Rin just as he tried to warn Amaimon of the temperature, warning dying in his mouth as it disappeared down Amaimon’s throat in under a minute.

“It’s good!” Amaimon gasped, face bright and smile baring fangs in a broad smile surrounded by what cream and specks of sugar had managed to miss getting inhaled.

“You like it?” Rin broke through his stupor with the praise, “Awesome!”

Beneath his shirt, his tail wagged, happiness at having made up for the earlier accident at least a little sending out curls of relief until he got himself under control with a cough.

“You can have another to go--if you want--since you’ve still got pastries to get through, I mean,” Rin said, and at Amaimon’s enthusiastic nod, began the second drink.

Sputtering started up and Rin’s stomach dropped.

Not _again._

“Shit!”

Steam hissed from the machine as it malfunctioned and spat frothed milk for the second time that day. He started up a stream of curses at the damn machine breaking down exactly when he didn’t need it to

“Sorry! This thing’s old and falling apart,” Rin said in a yelp as the heated liquid splashed at his face like it was out to get him with a vengeance. Why did this keep happening? His efforts to contain the chaos met more resistance than usual, possibly because he was panicking, but Rin solved the problem by yanking the plug and listening to the wheezing as it trickled to a halt.

“Oh man,” he mumbled in the silence, covered in milk froth and releasing a long exhale, “I need to get that thing replaced.”

“Wow, Rin,” Kuro trailed off, making Rin wince as he waved goodbye to any chance of retaining respect from Amaimon.

“I can fix that.”

His heart skipped a beat, Rin snapping his gaze to see the raised brow on Amaimon’s face where he appraised the machine.

“You,” Rin started, trying to figure out if he meant what he thought he did, “you’re offering to fix it?”

A shrug, “Sure.”

Just like that? Somehow, Amaimon’s impenetrable gaze stopped Rin from questioning him on minor details like how much it would cost or how long it would take.

“You’re a lifesaver, Amaimon!” He bowed, beaming when he rose as his heart tripped over itself.

Snapping vanished the machine from view, the last of the pastries going along with it, then, before Rin could react, Amaimon leaned towards him, reaching out and brushing his thumb over the tip of his nose. It came away with milk foam that Amaimon licked off, turning without another word to walk to the exit. A sharp whistle brought the idle Behemoth to his heels.

“See you tomorrow, Rin.” He left, the echoes of Rin’s name on his lips ringing in his ears as he stood, dazed and staring at the door.

“Wow, Rin, you’re so pathetic,” Kuro continued his statement in a sigh that jolted Rin’s heart back into gear.

“Hey!”

Nothing he said would convince Kuro he hadn’t been a complete idiot the entire time. Rin gave up trying, locking up the shop and already looking forward to opening the next morning, even if they’d have to use a limited menu until Amaimon returned.

He’d said _tomorrow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Simple chapter, but these poor guys don't realize what's coming for them~ Hope they enjoyed their coffee shop au before things go south :D


	4. Devil About Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mephisto’s got to rub shoulders and mingle with the upper-crust while the only crust Amaimon is interested in seeing is on Rin’s pastries. Pieces begin to move in the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a bunch of fun trying to figure out what, actually, the other kings would be doing in times of peace and how they’d interact without a central conflict. I do love those demon politics :D
> 
> Song of the Chapter: 
> 
> World in my Pocket by The Unlikely Candidates
> 
> Viva la Vida by Coldplay
> 
> FANART (!!!): Thank you for this piece bc it's 100% what I was imagining for Amaimon's gift to Rin :D
> 
> https://syntheticdelirium.tumblr.com/post/636097115022622720/this-was-oddly-soothing-to-shade-although-i-first

“You what?” Bon snapped, fingers gripped in his hair as he, Shima, and Godaiin stared at the place the coffee machine used to be.

Rin waved his hands, rushing to soothe them before Bon got that pulsing vein in his forehead that meant a migraine was coming on. “It’s cool! Izumo said the same thing to me, but he said he’d be back today to drop it off, so we just have to make cold drinks for one day!”

Groaning met his assurances.

“We already made it through the morning,” Rin added. Their customers had been understanding so far, all too many regulars having witnessed The Beast going off before and some happy it was being repaired, not replaced, like it was some kind of shop pet.

“How do we even know this demon can fix it? Or that he’ll be back when he says he will?” Bon spoke his point with his same exactness he did everything else with, making Rin's ears pin back.

“He said he would."

His grumbled defense got a good-natured sigh from Godaiin and Bon looking like he wanted to strangle Rin. So, not unusual.

"Eh-heh, you sure keep collecting demons, Rin," Shima's weak laugh had Rin turning a suspicious glare his way.

"I'm not _collecting_ them, and besides, Shiemi's the one who found the place."

That stopped Shima, gaze going upwards as if calculating something before he spoke. “Er, what? What’s this guy have to do with the shopping trip you went on with Shiemi?”

He might have forgotten to explain that point. Rin scratched at his cheek to the expectant looks he was getting, hurrying to explain.

“Well, so the shop turned out to be a demon shop and I kinda ran into him and broke something yesterday.” The looks turned to mixtures of long-suffering and grief, which, Rin wasn’t that bad!

“Anyway! I brought him here and was making him a drink to say sorry and--well you know.”

Bon's mutter of "you know" left Rin hiding a wince. Was it maybe wrong to trust a complete stranger with fixing their machinery? But he'd kept thinking about the green stone in the shape of a leaf now sitting on his windowsill where he could see the morning light reflecting through it onto his wall when he woke. So, he couldn't bring himself to think of it as a mistake.

"He'll come today for sure," he said again.

Scoffing from behind him reminded Rin Izumo hadn't left yet, still gathering her things before she'd leave for the day.

"You're going to make your favorite regular jealous if he sees you doing your waiting dog imitation on another demon."

An affronted cry burst from Rin while Shima snickered.

Izumo's gaze flicked beyond them and her eyes widened. "Woah, speaking of."

She gestured to the small TV they had in the corner Rin had been tuning out like usual, and he stared, wondering why he should be looking at the random celebrity pop-culture thing Izumo had flicked it to that morning.

Purple caught his eye and Rin sucked in a breath.

There, moving on the screen amidst a sea of people dressed to the nines, was Mephisto.

He'd stepped from the familiar pink limo and was immediately swarmed by photographers, the same smirk he'd given Rin the times they'd interacted evident even from the overhead angle of the camera.

The angle switched to a close-up just as Mephisto approached a woman in a rich, red dress worth probably more than Rin's entire shop, stepping with that purposeful glide that made him look like he prowled. Hunted.

Mephisto's smile widened to match the woman's, Rin's heart fluttered. He watched as Mephisto leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, letting it linger before taking her arm in his and continuing down the aisle.

His back disappeared from view with the changing camera to another arriving celebrity.

"Ouch," Shima muttered in the silence.

Bon scoffed under his breath, adding, "It's not like it's a surprise, I mean we all know who that woman-"

"-Ok, turning that," Izumo said as she changed the channel, breaking the spell.

Rin blinked from the screen, an automatic smile tugging at his lips to the winces he saw staring back.

“What?” he said when the silence dragged too long. His heart squeezed as he floundered for something to say, glad when the door opened on another customer so he had an excuse to not deal with thinking then. He went through the spiel for the day, letting them know about the limited menu until they got the new machine in and going to take their order.

It didn’t mean anything, anyway. The thought burst from his subconscious before he could stop it, but now that it had entered his head it wouldn't leave. Rin had told them demons were just like that, so it wasn't his fault they were disappointed.

Izumo leaving on his peripherals had him waving her way, ignoring the pity he could see in the gaze she wore. At some point he handed the deliveries for Shima and didn't let his "Cheer up, man, it'll work out" faze him, the attempts at comfort about something he wasn't even bothered by.

Something itched on the edges of his senses. Rin shifted, kicking at his ankle to jolt his mind back to the newest lady trying to make her mind up. The slow customers always irritated Bon the most and Rin could feel him getting impatient the longer she went back on her decision.

Prickling nerves joined the awareness in Rin, and he frowned, scanning his shop.

Green shifted at the entrance, Rin's heart stuttered and his lips cracked into a wide grin.

"Amaimon!" He'd been practicing the name, determined not to forget it. His greeting drew Bon away from getting the drink the lady had finally settled on, scowl freezing on his face.

Amaimon's gaze lit on Rin, prowling steps taking him towards the counter while Behemoth tumbled its way after.

"You're here," Rin chirped out to the intent bearing down on him, beaming, and his mood entirely reversed from the morning.

"Do you want to try something new today? Everything's fresh."

"Yes," the immediate answer came along with Amaimon ducking to examine the selection. His clawed thumb went to his mouth, fangs chewing it in absent clicks.

"Er, Rin?" Bon's call of his name pulled Rin from watching the interest flash through Amaimon, getting pinned with a clear request for an explanation in Bon's expression and raised hands gesturing towards Amaimon.

Oh, right. Rin laughed, cocking a thumb over at Amaimon as he made the introductions. "Bon, this is the demon I was telling you about. See? I told you he'd be back."

Instead of looking reassured, Bon looked like he wanted to strangle Rin, only interrupted by Amaimon grunting and tapping a claw to the glass. “I want this one.”

“The strawberry cream cake?” Rin said for confirmation, already reaching to pull it out for Amaimon and watching the unmasked delight on his face as he grabbed it to inhale the same way he’d done the day before.

“Do you like that one or the almond croissant better?” he asked, though he wondered how Amaimon even tasted the pastries when they lasted half-a-second in his mouth.

“Both!” Amaimon answered, licking at his fingers and tongue coming out to get the traces of strawberry jam over his lips. He already looked back at the display as if searching for his next.

“Take one for Behemoth, too,” Rin waved his hand at the patiently waiting Behemoth. It was too bad Kuro wasn’t there to play.

One Behemoth happily slobbering on his floor, Rin continued with Amaimon. “I’ll get your drink started, same or different this time?”

Amaimon’s head tilting bird-like into a sharp nod and his short response of “you choose” had Rin deciding on a drink version of the strawberry cake to go with it.

“I forgot,” he said in between mixing the syrups, “this is Bon! And Godaiin is over there in the corner, cleaning. I’m glad you came in so I could introduce you guys.”

Gold eyes flicked a short glance between Bon and Godaiin, Amaimon getting a brusk nod from Bon and Godaiin tossing him a wave of his hand that screamed nervous to Rin. Which, he’d have to figure out why they were acting so weird once Amaimon left because they should know not to act so tense around demons.

“Also, sorry, it’s a cold drink until we get the machine back.” He’d realized it midway through but shrugged, figuring Amaimon might like to try a cold drink next.

“Here!” Rin spoke just as Amaimon snapped his fingers and the machine reappeared back in its spot on the counter like it had never been gone. The difference being that it wasn’t beat to hell and vaguely menacing to look at. Even the metal on the outside gleamed in a new light.

“Oh man, it looks brand new,” Rin whispered, forgetting he was holding the finished drink in his hands until a warm touch startled him from staring. Amaimon’s hands wrapped around the drink, pressing against Rin’s as he tugged it free and into his grasp with a happy hum.

“Is that-” Godaiin started, shock rattling the words free- “is that ‘The Beast’?”

It was!

Rin whirled back to Amaimon, the grin on his face wide enough to hurt as he thanked him and got a nod in return. The simple reaction didn’t deter Rin like it had before. He reached to grab one of the pastries, leaning to let Behemoth wrap a long tongue around his hand and steal the pastry from it to leave slobber behind as Rin laughed.

“That’s still gross, Behemoth,” Rin said as he went to wash his hands, walking past a gaping Bon, who still hadn’t pulled himself together.

“So,” Amaimon perked up when Rin returned to lean on the counter, “what’d you think of that drink?”

The cup met the counter in a solid clack in front of Rin, and the lips that seemed like they were stuck in a perpetual blank mask tugged upwards in what could be called a smile.

“It’s good,” Amaimon said, a firm statement repeating his first reaction he’d had the day before, except this time like he’d made up his mind about something.

Again, he seemed to decide that he’d accomplished what he’d come for, and Amaimon turned for the exit after another nod to Rin.

“Bye, Amaimon!” Rin called, waving him out the door and getting a glance over the shoulder along with a flick of his fingers.

He should probably wipe the floor down where Behemoth had been. A warmth filled Rin as he hummed, gathering the mop from the back. Two pairs of stunned eyes met him when he returned.

“Uh,” he started to say.

“Are you kidding me, Rin?” Bon shrieked, making Rin wince as he scrambled to figure out what he’d done this time.

Also, "Bon, you're gonna scare the customers," Rin said after he'd gotten the ringing from his ears.

A couple in the corner must have heard him, because they quickly looked like they were busy and not listening in when Rin shot a glance over.

Bon just rubbed at his forehead, and the vein there said he definitely had a migraine.

"Seriously? Do you know who that was?"

"No? Should I?" A sinking feeling started up in Rin, making itself known as deja vu.

"Rin, you're really living under a rock, huh," Godaiin said as he came up to the counter, what Rin would call bafflement evident in his expression and drooping shoulders.

"This place isn't on any ley lines, I checked," Bon began muttering instead as he entered what Rin thought of as his "detective mode" whenever it happened. "There's no way we get two of these guys here in one week. Is it a curse? Are we cursed?"

"Two?" Rin said, trying to parse an explanation from the continued stream of conscious Bon kept up.

"Rin," Godaiin said like he was putting it as delicately as possible, "that wasn't just a random demon. Don't you recognize the name?"

At Rin's negative, Bon heaved a weary sigh, head dropping back as if asking for patience.

"That's _Amaimon,_ demon king of earth, seventh in Gehenna, and he just came in and let his familiar slobber all over our tile while you fed them-- _and_ he fixed our crappy coffee machine!"

Hands flung up as Bon gestured at Rin, "I can't believe you asked him to fix the machine! What the hell, Rin?"

Another demon king. Rin's mouth parted, eyes widening as he tuned out the rest of Bon's rant. He should have been thinking about the way Amaimon's power had sparked on the edges of his senses the same as Mephisto's did, but all Rin could remember was the way he’d brushed a thumb across his nose to catch the milk foam that had gotten there.

Maybe he was cursed. Would it make his parents worried if he asked them to check? Yukio might be better, but then Rin could already imagine the reaction when he pulled the reason for him asking out. Actually, it would probably look something like Bon’s.

Still, next time they saw each other he would ask. Just to be sure.

“He offered about the machine,” Rin grumbled as he finally answered Bon’s complaint, “and anyway, Shiemi’s the one who took me to his shop!”

“Don’t pin this on Shiemi,” Bon’s finger wound up stuck in Rin’s face as he fumed, “she’s as oblivious as you. You’re both gonna get eaten one day and it’s a miracle it hasn’t happened yet.”

Where was Shima to tell Bon he was sounding like his mother, as he so often did when Bon got like this? Rin settled in to deal with the run-down until Bon tired himself out.

“-And that’s why you’re going to pay for my therapy when this is all over,” Bon finished his rant, leaving Rin windblown in the wake of the category five hurricane lecture.

Seeing he was free, Rin laughed and patted Bon’s shoulder. “Hey, I promise to make you tea for the stress headaches. Shiemi might even share her stash of chamomile when she finds out!”

“Um, excuse me,” a voice paused whatever Bon’s response might have been and they turned to see the customer Bon had been dealing with before Amaimon came in.

“Er, yes? Anything wrong, ma’am?” Rin said as he broke from the conversation.

She shook the drink in her hand to indicate it. “Well, now that you’ve got the latte maker back, I think I’d like to change my order.”

Bon’s teeth-grinding could be heard from behind Rin as he swept aside the rest of the revelations he’d had that day to deal with their indecisive customer.

Besides, Bon was over-reacting the same as he did over every upcoming exam, and just like he always came out of those with straight A’s despite his panic, Rin was confident they’d survive two demon kings hanging out at the shop.

* * *

It was really a tragedy, Mephisto thought as he stared down at the latte in his hand, that a little shop tucked in the corner of his territory would have better coffee than the purportedly five-star dining his private jet was supposed to provide.

He'd have to look into a replacement chef. A smile tugged at his mouth as he considered just stealing that nephilim. It was only fair, given he'd taken his attention so neatly, effortless, almost.

Something told him he'd be denied, the pride Rin took in his shop and the way he watched over his collection of humans made it clear to Mephisto he'd have to be satisfied with things as they were. At least for now.

Mephisto had time on his hands, after all. Speaking of, he snapped and brought out the newest handheld system the humans had come out with, happy to ignore the paperwork he’d been intending to work on during the flight.

Time drifted on his peripherals, passing in a continuous stream of music from the game he’d chosen until they began the descent. He _could_ have just appeared at the event, but the extended uninterrupted time to ignore the rest of the world the long way gave him was too nice to set aside. There was also the fact that it was good to shake things up when he made his grand entrances. One couldn’t be predictable and he’d already shown up through his doors at enough events this year.

Though he wouldn’t be taking customs or dealing with the drudgery of an airport. Mephisto sighed and vanished his game along with the paperwork he’d get around to later when there wasn’t anything else to do.

Now, time to make his debut. He had a show to steal.

A thought took him from the plane, leaving the pilot to handle stowing it as he appeared where he’d directed Belial to wait with the car he’d brought over too. Unnecessary? Very. But so many of life’s little pleasures were, and he liked to indulge.

The world was slower without the threat of extinction via a childish god.

Slipping into the car and a new suit he’d picked out for the event gave him more time to think about other avenues of entertainment as Belial began driving. It may be time to pick up a new hobby or two. Business could only keep him entertained for so long, although he did enjoy the empire he’d grown and all the little pawns he moved around it.

There were so few of them that caught his eye nowadays, though. So many were fascinating in their own right but lacked the certain spark that drew him in the ways his favorite pawns always did. Not like his newest fixation, and he hadn’t spent enough time picking that one apart yet to say if it would flare into a bonfire or fizzle into an ember to be snuffed out.

Blue eyes and a sharp grin flashed through his mind and he wanted it to be the former.

For the moment, however, he had other things to focus on. They’d arrived.

Outside the car came the loud chatter of the various humans, demons, and everything in between that had made their ways into the upper echelons of the current world’s society.

Mephisto flipped a switch and put on a smile he knew would draw eyes as surely as his very presence did. The stiff half-cape he’d chosen to go over his black suit with the gold olive branches embroidered in twisting patterns flared around him as he stepped from the car. Controlled chaos swallowed him followed by an immediate blinding effect from the camera flashes.

His ears twitched, deafened by the eruption of sound barraging him as he smiled wider.

Calls of his name--the current one he went by--passed as he ignored them to head towards his target.

Red shone amongst a sea of other colors, the shapes of various humans circling like sparks around a bonfire. An ash-gray stare bore down into him as power swelled, a wash of heat that caressed over his aspect in a daring greeting.

He would expect nothing less from the one he’d come to see.

“Samael,” his true name came in the dark crackle of a voice that could go from warm to burning pyre in an instant.

“Iblis, dear,” Mephisto said to her arched brow expression, watching it break into a smile to match his as he leant down. Her aspect receded, allowing his presence in her space as he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth.

“The red suits you,” he said as he pulled back and took her arm in his to lead her from the entry. “Which of your humans created it? I may steal them for myself.”

Hips knocked into his and Iblis scoffed, though she didn't lose her smile, clearly amused as she responded, "They're mine, you'll have to pay for their services like everyone else if you want their work on your vessel."

Ever the possessive demon. Mephisto had expected it from her, but he wouldn't be much of a demon himself if he didn't make the occasional testing jab.

“You’ve built yourself quite the empire,” he noted as they passed more of Iblis’ humans, each person at the gala wearing something with her mark on it--or her claim she handed out to any creature that caught her fickle eye.

Several humans parted for them in a flurry of extravagant colors and fabrics as they made their way to one of the tables set apart for Iblis’ use, a servant arriving in silence to offer them the particular brand of champagne Iblis preferred.

“Yes, it’s different to the wars I used to wage,” Iblis said after they’d settled, watching the crowds the same way a queen overlooking her court would. “The humans fight in new ways but worship the same.”

Her lips twisted into a smile that verged on cruel, sharp at the edges as she traced a red-painted claw to the glass in her hand. “They still throw themselves at my feet and wait for me to determine if it’s my mercy or judgement they receive.”

A familiar dance he played with his own web of humans and demons. Mephisto nodded, leaning back to lounge, enjoying the smaller flame beside his and the constant flow of movement circling their position.

“Samael,” a flick of her ashen gaze, Mephisto hid a smile behind his glass, “why did you come here?”

She always did hate surprises. He’d been kind this time, giving her heads up as he’d boarded the plane that morning instead of arriving through one of his doors without a word at all in warning. Something had put him in a good mood. Well, and he’d also wanted to get off on the right foot with Iblis for this occasion.

“You know I love a good party, and your events are always the talk of the town, dear Iblis,” he answered, knowing she’d be rolling her eyes at the needless flattery.

“Yes, and? What else, you trickster?” Iblis said, sighing at his guileless expression.

Truthfully, that was something he needed to pin down for himself. The timelines were blurred, too many possible routes he wouldn't be able to narrow down until the threads converged onto a pivotal string of events.

To reach that point, he would need to prod at places that needed prodding, causing the ripples to see where they ended up.

"Ah, nothing else, nothing else," he soothed, not that it convinced her, "I was just catching up with our Lucifer and thought I'd do the same with the rest of my beloved family."

Iblis hummed, tapping her claws to the arm of the cushioned chair. Her thick black hair fell over her shoulder when she turned to face him fully, the eternal fire that flared at the tip of the intricate braid casting a warm light. It matched the one flickering above her eyes at her crown, glinting in the three of them as they narrowed.

"Fine then, don't tell me, Samael," she said finally. "You do liven things up around yourself, so I'll accept your company."

Very gracious of her, but it was what he was after, so Mephisto allowed her the illusion of control. It was only polite.

"Speaking of family," he began the play, tugging at one of the threads, "I'm surprised your shadow isn't here too, I was hoping to speak with him. Where is that little moth to your flame?"

He snagged several of the hors d'oeuvres from the tray a passing staff member brought by, enjoying the explosion of flavor he once would have only been able to experience a portion of while he waited on Iblis.

"Beelzebub," Iblis said in confirmation. Always so _literal._ "Don't know. The last of us I've seen has been Astaroth."

 _Astaroth?_ Mephisto smiled wider and relaxed, careful to keep the surprise from his body language.

"He's elusive, that one, how did it go?" he asked idly, releasing a mock sniff of affront next. “He never visits me, I’m beginning to feel slighted.”

Pleasure mingled with irritation in Iblis’ narrowed gaze, a sharp slash of a grin stretching her lips over needle-tip fangs. Her aspect flickered and sparked with the remnants of a challenge stoked from the embers.

“You’re right, Samael, it’s rude of him,” she said in a purr that spoke of satisfaction. “He’s been in a shoddy mood lately. And after the visit he paid me, I think it’s only fair to set you two on each other.”

Truly, he got no respect from his charming brethren. Mephisto hid a roll of his eyes and said, “Is my presence a punishment now?”

“It would help him lighten up, if anything,” Iblis said, waving her hand to brush off his pique. “I had to put him in his place when he got too snippy with me. He’s off licking his wounds somewhere.”

Spats happened between the best of them, though some were more prone to in-fighting than others--Amaimon and Egyn being key examples whenever they broke the peace for their squabbles. Likely, it was unimportant, but speaking to Astaroth would paint a clearer picture, if he could apply the right pressure.

“Hm, well, you may as well send him my way when he crawls out of whatever moldy crevasse he’s sulking in now.”

Mephisto thought he’d gleaned what he could, slipping into other conversations and delighted when Iblis deigned to introduce him to the one who’d designed her dress. He made his rounds amongst the guests, searching for the ones who might spark his interest, might make the next century something more.

He didn’t find it.

But…

His eyes lit on the party favors Iblis or one of her humans had chosen for the event. Crystalline figurines a shade of blue he’d discovered in another set of eyes.

It would make a nice souvenir from his trip, really.

A souvenir, or a gift.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mephisto’s making an oopsie he’s gonna regret when it comes back to bite him in the ass later :D It’s just one of many oopsies he makes this fic tbh rip him XD This is what happens when there isn't a threat to sharpen his claws on, they get blunt~


	5. The Gift That Keeps On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for a bit of redemption, Mephisto, get yourself back in the game before Amaimon takes the lead~ An unexpected call comes for Rin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time, sorry~ I'm not used to these chapter lengths XD but it's all outlined out now and the total should end at 17, which, given the average ch length is like 3-5k, means this is gonna in the upper range of what I estimated the total length...again (:
> 
> This fic was me attempting to give Rin and Yukio a healthy sibling relationship after everything that's happening in the manga lmao With luck, I'll be successful.
> 
> Annnnd things start to go downhill (or uphill depending on ur perspective XD) after this, rip to them :D

Don’t be weird. Don’t be weird.

Rin kept up the mantra in his head, scrubbing with a little too much energy until the metal in his hands gave a threatening creak and he forced himself calm.

Besides, it wasn’t like it was a for sure thing he even had to be worried about! Or like he knew when to prepare for, it could be any day, really.

Any…

An engine rumbled nearby and Rin whipped his head around, hand squeezing until a distorted dent of metal met his ears. He flinched just as white moved in a flare of fabric at the entrance. 

The broken mixing cup wound up shoved out of sight just as Mephisto sauntered towards Rin.

“Good morning!” Rin blurted out to the smile beaming down at him, like Mephisto was in a good mood about something. 

Was he? Rin tore the thought to shreds as his heartbeat picked up in his chest despite his best efforts. Too late, Mephisto was already at the counter, leaning into Rin’s space and filling the small shop with the more-than-likely massively expensive cologne he used.

“Guten morgen, Rin,” he said in response to Rin’s half-forgotten automatic greeting, eyes already scanning the display case as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks. After pointing to one of the pastries with a request to heat it, he said, “What will you craft for me today, then?”

Today? The question had Rin blinking as he scrambled to get his mind back on track. It hit him as Mephisto raised a brow, head coming up the longer it took Rin to say anything.

The bet! 

“I have something that’ll really blow you away today,” Rin said as he went to dig out the ingredients he’d mentally marked as “for Mephisto” and a new cup to replace the one he’d destroyed. It let him shove more of the jitters from his nerves, though prickles kept running down his spine that wouldn’t leave even when he faced Mephisto again with a finished drink.

Hands tipped in painted claws drew over Rin’s, close, but not touching, though Rin could swear he felt the heat from them before they accepted the drink.

“Oh, you have _no_ _idea_ how I’ve missed this,” Mephisto groaned into his cup of the chocolate mocha Rin had carefully balanced, the drizzles of chocolate sauce disappearing in a long swipe of a tongue as Mephisto’s eyes shuttered.

He had? But he'd been over at the no-doubt incredibly high end event, the one with food from who knew where, crafted by the hands of chefs with actual training and not the self-taught skills Rin had.

“I haven’t had a decent cup of coffee in days.” The muffled words confirmed it hadn’t been a mistake, and Rin flushed in pride, able to tighten the lid in his mind on the things he wasn’t acknowledging. 

Mood restored, Rin tapped a nail to the counter, drawing Mephisto’s attention in a slide of his eyes. The pupils slivered from their dilated state Rin was pretty sure his drink had resulted in and he grinned enough to show teeth at the sight.

“Is it just decent, or your favorite?” he pressed when he had Mephisto’s unwavering attention. 

A return grin cracked onto Mephisto as he shook his head. “Close, but not my favorite.”

“Dammit,” Rin let the curse out as he crossed that drink off the list, then blinked. “Wait, close? Like more than last time?”

Crawling over the counter to shake the answer out of Mephisto probably wouldn’t get it any faster, despite the pretend contemplation he took over Rin’s question, humming as his claw tapped to his bottom lip. A fang peeked out, Mephisto nibbling until his lip reddened and had Rin biting his own before he realized what he was doing.

“Yes, _closer,_ ” Mephisto said, an exaggerated wink accompanying him snapping.

Smoke cleared to reveal something blue Mephisto held between his fingers, moving to bring it towards Rin.

The cool feeling of whatever the object was touched to Rin’s parted mouth, his hands moving to cup it just as Mephisto released it to his grasp.

“A little souvenir from my travels. It seemed to suit you, Rin.”

Mephisto dropped the usual change for his order on the counter and waved himself out, gone in a flick of the white cape he’d worn that day.

Rin’s body numbed at every point except the buzzing where Mephisto had brushed his hands and his mouth where…

Jerking down, he stopped, eyes repeating their scan of the gift while his mind tried to catch up to what he saw. 

“Is that a tiger?”

Izumo cocked a brow at him when he bit off a squeak of surprise, taken from his examination by her sudden voice from right at his side. His grip tightened and the edges of the crystalline tiger bit into his skin, reminding him that his eyes hadn’t been lying.

Mid-snarl, body a light blue that reflected the lights in his shop, and very clearly, definitely-

“Yeah,” Rin said after a minute, turning the figurine in his hands to let the light play off the facets carved into the shape of a tiger. His heart thudded. He’d said--Mephisto had said-

“It does kinda suit you,” Izumo continued, peering closer while Rin had to stop himself from pulling it away and closer to his chest. It was stupid because Izumo definitely wasn’t going to take it from him, was probably going to make some comment on it like she’d been doing since Mephisto had inserted himself in their lives.

-It suited him, he’d said. Was definitely as close to Rin’s eye-color as a rock could get.

Something strangled made it past his lips in acknowledgment of Izumo’s statement. 

“So,” Izumo drawled, smirk on her face when Rin looked up, “I guess he made up for the other day, huh.”

“There wasn’t anything to make up for,” Rin said as he shoved the tiger into his front pocket where it would be safe.

Were those customers in the corner laughing? He couldn’t glare at his regulars. That was a big no-no. The reminder kept Rin from growling, working alongside Izumo on the next few orders that arrived.

“Does this mean your other suitor is stopping by to demolish our pastry supply or…”

“Other sui-” Rin started, scrunching his brows as he went over the counter to clean it- “who?”

“Unless Shima’s lying about that,” Izumo buffed her nails to her shirt, feigning disinterest, “I wouldn’t put it past him, he’s got stakes in this.”

Stakes? Trying to figure out what Izumo meant would probably be too much work for him, so Rin shook it away. “I don’t have any suitors, Izumo, and definitely not two of them.”

Before she could correct him, he added, “I’ll be leaving when Bon and Godaiin get in. Shiemi's gonna go with me to the shop again today!"

Izumo stopped, squinting at him as she said, " Shiemi's going _with you?_ "

"Er, yeah what's weird with that?" Rin said as he tried to understand why Izumo rolled her eyes.

"Not, ' _you're_ going with Shiemi,' huh?" came another dry comment.

"Yes?" Rin trailed off in a question, hoping she'd start making sense soon.

"Uh-huh, so Shima's not lying, I guess," Izumo said as she nodded to herself and sighed. "The pool's going to need rearranging."

He gave up, leaving the mystery of suitors and pools to another day, though he probably wouldn't ever uncover it. 

Anticipation that had started the day before and only increased the longer time stretched to the shift-change built until Rin nearly vibrated in place. He paced, realized what he was doing, stopped himself, began fidgeting with the figurine in his pocket that seemed to heat where it pressed to his heart, pulled away before it looked weird, drummed his fingers to the counter as Izumo coughed to remind him it was a pet peeve of hers, and finally bolted to the door the second he saw Shiemi arrive.

"You're here!" he said, holding the door for her, then glaring at the clock on the wall despite knowing Bon and Godaiin were a few minutes before they had to be there.

"Hello Rin, hi Izumo!" Shiemi chirped, coming up to hug them, Izumo continuing her routine of pretending to get huffy every time it happened, but Rin knew it was something she secretly enjoyed.

They idled the rest of the time talking, Rin taking to tapping his hand to his thigh in between getting a few more orders out. 

Bon arrived first and Rin snapped his gaze towards him, grinning. Just a bit more.

There he was! 

"Ok, see you guys tomorrow!" Rin called as he made his way from the shop, bouncing on his feet when Shiemi didn't move fast enough.

"So, um," he glanced at her, "did you keep that plant he gave you alive?" 

Rin didn't doubt for a second that she hadn't, but if she had, did that mean Amaimon wouldn't let them in his shop anymore? He took such good care of his plants, at least, Rin thought he did with how nice they looked. That meant if they messed up and didn't take care of his gifts in return then he wouldn't trust them with new ones. Right?

"Yes! It's come along beautifully," Shiemi said, immediately putting Rin's fears to rest. "I hope he'll let us have another."

Her gaze slid to him and she giggled. "Or another rock for you."

"Hey, it's a cool rock, ok?" Rin said and crossed his arms. They took their places on the train as Rin did his best not to count the minutes. "And I didn't lose it, either."

Shiemi filled the minutes easily, doing much better at distracting Rin than Izumo's unhidden teasing had.

When they arrived, Rin almost leapt from the train, forcing himself to wait for Shiemi before the traditional wooden door to Amaimon's shop stood in their way. He pushed it open, ignoring the fluttering in his chest that definitely wasn't nerves, and peered into the green.

"Amaimon?" 

When he didn't hear a response, Rin stepped into the shop, heading down one of the aisles to the back. 

"Maybe he's out?" Rin said when his exploration revealed an empty shop. Although, that buzz of power tingled at the back of his throat, so he should be-

Rin looked down.

"Ah!" he yelped, tripping backwards to the sight of Amaimon hauling himself from the literal hole in the dirt floor. A hand on his wrist jerked Rin to a halt and Amaimon tugged him upright.

Stumbling forward, Rin met a solid obstruction in Amaimon. He cursed and pulled free, trying not to look like any more of an idiot and not sure if he'd succeeded.

"Sorry!" Rin said in a gasp, mentally flaying himself because he'd once again fallen into Amaimon like some kind of klutz. 

Except, "Why'd you scare me like that, dammit?"

Amaimon's blank expression and the giggles from Shiemi where she stood at his side had Rin dropping the question, grumbling but knowing he wouldn't get anywhere. 

The hole at Amaimon's feet closed with a flick of his hand, then he stared, gaze sweeping over them in a lazy slide. He crossed his arms, "Well?"

"Uh," Rin started, rubbing at his wrist where Amaimon had held. It came to him as Amaimon raised an expectant brow. "Oh!"

Digging into his pocket won Rin what he needed, opening to reveal the green stone resting in his palm. "I kept it safe!"

Another scan of Amaimon's eyes and he nodded, turning to Shiemi.

"The Gehenna Cambion bloomed last evening, I'll have seeds to share with you, but until then I pressed the first flower. Here," Shiemi said with a bow, hands coming up to present a small glass square contained in a metal frame and protecting a flower with soft pink petals. "Um, I named it Usagi." 

Wasn't that the name of the shoujo protagonist? Rin scratched at his hair as he tried to understand Shiemi's naming parameters.

Claws pinched the corner of the frame and Amaimon plucked it from Shiemi's hands.

"Ok," he said, vanishing it in a careless motion Shiemi didn't seem to mind as she beamed, her pleasure apparent and mirroring Rin's.

"Here," Amaimon reached to the hanging shelf in front of the window behind him and pulled down a delicate looking flower with glossy leaves. "Do you know what this is?"

Shiemi gasped, fingertips at her lips and gaze pinned to the flower. "Yes! A ghost orchid!"

"Good, keep it alive a week, you get another," he said like he was really saying, "You know the drill." 

With that order, he dropped the small pot into her hands and snapped, cloud of smoke dissipating and revealing a flowering plant grown into intricate twists, the dark green leaves making the red of the flowers even more vivid to Rin.

"This is yours," Amaimon shoved the pot into Rin's chest and held it until he fumbled for a grip. 

"I don't want to kill it!" Rin blurted out, already imagining the wilted red petals and dried remains of the once beautiful plant. Still, he clutched it closer, careful to keep it steady so the soil and decorative rocks jutting near the base between the roots didn't come loose.

Amaimon gave a snort, crossing his arms as he surveyed Rin. "You won't. It's for your shop. I'll come by once a week to keep it alive and you give me pastries and drinks."

Relief swept through Rin and he laughed. "That sounds fair, I can definitely do that."

"Ah, if you don't mind me asking," Shiemi said, fixated on the plant in Rin's hands, "which variety of Camellia is that?"

Camel-what? Was that the name of the plant or had Shiemi given it one of her nicknames?

"Middlemist," Amaimon said and shrugged at the squeak Shiemi let out with his answer.

"I see," she managed to say when she calmed down, the blush on her cheeks rivaling the flower. "It's beautiful, Mr. Amaimon."

"Where should I put it in the shop, Amaimon?" Rin asked, worried that if he put it in the wrong place it would somehow die before Amaimon could save it and Rin would have to kill himself to make up for destroying his gift.

Thoughts of his inevitable ritual honor killing shook from Rin's head when Amaimon spoke.

"On the back windowsill by the round table, don't water it."

"I can do that, yup, no touching, got it," Rin said, smiling at Amaimon and cradling his new most prized possession like it would fall apart if a stray breeze hit it wrong.

Still, the flowers looked so soft, Rin couldn't resist brushing his cheek to the petals, eyes closing and enjoying the caress. He sniffed, though besides the typical scents of earth and life, the only thing he could pick up was faint traces of Amaimon. Though even that faded into the background, like he carried the same scents as the plants around them, indistinct from one another.

Inhaling one last time, Rin opened his eyes again to see Amaimon had gone unmoving, stone-like and watching with a near predatory stillness. Rin didn't feel threatened, laughing off what he was sure was a social blunder because he couldn’t seem to stop himself from making those but at least Amaimon hadn’t gotten irritated with him yet.

“Thanks, Amaimon,” Rin said as he dug around in his bag and brought out a wrapped pastry. Kuro wouldn’t mind what he didn’t know he’d missed, and Rin had another for his familiar so he could give Amaimon this one. “Here, this one’s a cheese danish.”

In the time it took him to hand it over, Amaimon’s expression dissolved into faint pleasure that might as well have been a standing ovation from him, eyelids falling until only a line of gold broke the bruises ringing them as the danish vanished. Rin was sure he hadn’t even chewed, actually, Amaimon might have unhinged his jaw to accomplish the maneuver, fangs flashing in a cage around the doomed pastry before they disappeared behind his lips again.

Purring from Amaimon told Rin all he needed to know, though he kept his cheer contained to the smile splitting his face.

“There’s something I wondered if you could answer for me, if it’s ok to ask,” Shiemi started, bringing Rin to stare.

“Huh?” 

“My work with the city beautification--well, I’ve been noticing something strange recently,” she said, and Rin realized she meant Amaimon because he knew next to nothing about that side of things.

Amaimon nodded at her to continue, idly licking the remains of the danish from his claws in a way Rin tried not to watch too closely. 

“The city’s bee and pollinator populations have shifted, or they might have left entirely, it’s hard to say since it’s only been happening in the past few months,” Shiemi said as she worried her lip, head bowed and hands running over the broad leaves of her gift. “The demons who work with us can’t seem to understand it and they can’t get them back, either…”

At Amaimon’s arched brow, Shiemi hurried on with her point, “Um, well, you wouldn’t happen to know where they might have vanished to, would you?”

He snorted, leaning back on the shelf behind him and waving a hand, “No. I don’t pay attention to what’s happening in Assiah.”

“Oh. Then one of the others, maybe?” Shiemi added after absorbing what he’d said.

Again, he shook his head, his disinterest evident. “I don’t talk to them more than every other century. It’s their own business what they do and what goes on in their territories. I don’t care.”

Shifting brought a cloud of smoke and a sucker to his hands he began tonguing, fangs clacking to it in a distracting way that had Rin’s ears twitching as his gaze drew to the red staining them from the artificial color.

“Thank you for answering, we won’t bother you anymore, Mr. Amaimon. Are you ready, Rin?” Shiemi’s call of his name took Rin from the hypnotic effect of the pattern of clicks and he fought a flush of embarrassment at zoning out.

“Yup, I’m good to go,” he said, tail tightening around him to contain the shiver as he walked behind Shiemi to the door, feeling the unblinking gaze pinned to his spine until it shut.

It wasn’t until he said “goodbye” to Shiemi on her stop that a ringing in his pocket snapped him from the weird haze he’d been under and Rin scrambled to answer.

“Yukio!” he gasped out, fingers tightening on the ceramic pot in his lap. “What’s up?”

“…You sound out of breath, Rin, should I call back?” Yukio asked while Rin cursed himself for the lack of control.

“Er, no, it’s nothing, just heading home for the day.”

“Uh huh,” Yukio definitely didn’t believe Rin, “well, I called because I finally got enough tenure to ask for some free-time so I’m taking a day to visit you. Shiemi confirmed she can meet up, so we’ll be by the shop soon.”

 _Soon?_ Rin immediately flashed to Yukio coming by and what that meant. He shivered.

“The enthusiasm is noted,” Yukio’s dry comment dragged Rin from visions of the future.

"No! Sorry, I can't wait, it's just been a busy day," Rin sputtered before he could make Yukio think he needed to cancel. "I'll have your favorite lunch ready for you!"

"Hm," Yukio hummed in a way Rin knew was teasing, "I don't know, my feelings are hurt, you might need to throw in a second lunch to make up for it."

"Extortionist," Rin said in a grumble, mouth twitching with the urge to laugh. "I'll see you soon, then. _With_ your damn lunches. Who knows what you've been eating at that place. You're probably skin and bones. Wasting away! A shell of my former brother."

"Ok, mother," Yukio said, the eye-roll nearly audible through the phone, "see you."

They hung up, the rest of Rin's humor withering in the muffled silence of the train as he stared down at the black screen.

Yukio was punctual. When he got a day free, he came early in the morning to get the most from his time off. Without his say, Rin's hand went to his chest with the figurine, the other tracing to the smooth bark of the plant.

Rin swallowed, thinking about two potential meetings in one day that spelled disaster, though for who, he wasn't sure, exactly.

He was so screwed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this particular ch is setting up for the next one wherein someone gets introduced who is NOT Yukio but who will be making an extra special debut as a character I have yet to write into any of the fics >;D
> 
> Next chapter should be out within a week to 2~


	6. Enter The Albatross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Look what the storm's blown in! Mephisto gets comfortable in certain personal spaces and Amaimon makes himself at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus begins the second arc of this fic, things are heating up in the au~
> 
> So I figured it would be fun to go add all the different recipes/drinks I've been sticking in here like I usually do my song of the chapters lol
> 
> Recipes of the chapter:
> 
> Caramel Macchiato: /better-than-starbucks-caramel-macchiato/
> 
> Mint Thai Iced Tea: recipe/247052/spiced-thai-iced-tea/?internalSource=hub&referringContentType=Search
> 
> This one wasn't quite what I had in mind but "apparently" the drink I made up doesn't exist :|
> 
> Green tea cheesecake: recipes/food/views/green-tea-cheesecake-with-raspberries-and-raspberry-mint-tisane-233720
> 
> Song of the Chapter: Give Me Something by The Man Who
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/track/0ERftkSGTUhkWRNY2w8UcH

Green and blue lights shifted on the wall as Rin blinked awake, tears in his eyes until they stopped being so dry after sleeping with them open the whole night.

The sun pouring through his window reflected through two translucent shapes he'd lined up together on the sill. Beside both, he'd set the red flowering bonsai.

Rin inhaled, scenting out the traces of expensive cologne and earth like the air after it rained.

He had to get up, get to work, had to feed Kuro before he started complaining.

His tail twitched by his feet where it wound, longer strands at the end hopelessly mussed after the restless sleep he'd had.

They were both faint now, more memory than actually there, and Rin was surprised they hadn't already faded completely by the morning.

Listening let Rin know Kuro wasn't moving from his spot in the small living room of his apartment, just a faint heartbeat that spoke of sleep. He was alone in his room.

At the thought, the tail he'd draped in random coils shifted.

Fur tugged from beneath his leg, each strand prickling at the sensitive nerves straight up his spine to pool in his gut.

It reached in a languid slump, looping to fall into his hands. Rin arched, stretching with a groan as more of the haze of sleep drained in the flickers building at his core.

The one benefit, he'd realized quickly, to living alone except for Kuro for the first time in his life, was the _privacy._

Claws scrapped through the short fur and down the length of his tail followed by a harder drag of his fist. A deeper heat sent his head back before an impulse had him tugging at the waist of his sweatpants, hips lifting until he could get a grip on his length.

"Mmn," he sighed, palming himself and toying with the end of his tail as he hardened the rest of the way from the state he'd woken up in.

Another thought brought a bright flash of pain to join the pleasure from his increasing pace as he bit further into his lip, blood welling to coat his tongue.

"Hah," the soft breath escaped him, eyes closing to slits as he dropped his head to the side. Pre-come gathered to slick his hand, his tail lashing to thump at his legs and stomach like it had a mind of its own; belonged to someone else. Rin sank his teeth in further, piercing to the other side and shocking a startled whimper he stifled along with the tears his bite sprung in his eyes he'd squeezed shut before fluttering to clear them away.

Rin's gaze caught on the faint, shifting colors on the wall and, without his say, he sucked in a deep breath, searching for a scent, two.

Earth and the spice of a cologne hit him just as his pleasure crested and Rin gasped his release, pulse shattering in his veins and breath out on his exhale. He panted, eyes shooting open and heat rising in his cheeks as he resolutely refused to look over at his windowsill. His tail flicked in erratic twitches where he hadn't let it go, claws extended to dig into his palm because he'd gripped too hard.

"Shower, gotta shower and get to the shop," he mumbled, throat tight for reasons he wouldn't acknowledge. Already, the holes in his lip and palm had healed.

Shuffling to the shower and blasting the cold water woke him up, shaking the rest of the webs attached to his thoughts. Rin put the morning behind him as he scrubbed signs of it from his body in jerky movements.

He'd gotten home after baking the morning's selections for his usual nap before he had to go in to start the shift with Izumo, never needing the same amount of sleep they did and able to get everything prepped for the morning rush without help during the early hours. It was a far cry from his childhood of sleeping past noon or barely making it to school because he couldn't be woken despite his family's best efforts.

Movement from outside the bathroom let Rin know Kuro was up and about to start demanding food. With a last shiver whose source he pretended was the air after he shut off the shower, Rin went to get ready for his day.

* * *

"Er, Rin?" Shima said, "why's there a plant on the windowsill?"

Rin looked up from the counter and beamed. "It's a gift!"

"Oh," came the weak response, Shima unmoving as he stared at the vivid red flowers on the bonsai now sitting proudly in its new home. "Another gift, huh?"

In Rin's opinion, it immediately made the shop a million times better, livening the place up and bringing a smile to his face every time he saw it.

"Yup! But don't touch it! He's going to come in once a week to make sure it's ok."

Shima's mutter to the effect of, "Yeah, gotcha, no touching," drifted in the air, but Rin didn't pay attention. He was more tuned into listening for Mephisto's arrival.

After the partial success of the last drink, Rin had to see if the one he'd planned for today was closer or farther from Mephisto's favorite and Rin winning the bet.

Several customers came and went. Rin flicked his gaze to the door as if maybe he'd just zoned out and missed the rumble of a limo.

He hadn't. Izumo had begun sending him glances he knew carried pity as they got the deliveries ready for Shima. More time passed and Rin handed the last of the orders out, bag just leaving his hand into Shima's.

Smoke, pink and sparkling, exploded into existence in the middle of the shop, startling a high-pitched scream from Shima as he jumped and lost his grip on the bag. Rin snatched it mid-air and sighed his relief, hand going to his chest as he recovered.

"You would not believe the annoyances I've just spent the morning dealing with," Mephisto said with a scoff and a shake of his head before spotting Rin.

His smile replaced the disgruntled scowl and sent Rin's heart pounding harder after the scare, but a return grin already stretched on his face.

"You're late!" Rin said in a tease, still bent over the counter with the bag in hand.

"Apologies, Rin," Mephisto's smile went crooked and he bowed lightly as Rin rose, "I'll tip nicely for making you wait."

Snickering, Rin got to work, Mephisto indicating another pastry he handed off to Izumo after he'd set the rescued order down. Though Shima didn't leave after grabbing it.

Had it been the chocolate drizzle? That the drink was iced? The beans he'd used? The milk ratio? Rin had thought about what Yukio might do, coming at it in a process of elimination. in an orderly fashion to narrow down the results and promptly ignored it to go with the first thing he thought of that day.

"There!" Rin set the cup down. He'd taken off the whipped cream this time, going for something caramel and hot, just to be sure Mephisto maybe preferred a hot over an iced drink. It could be he just liked the level of sweetness and the specific flavor didn't matter. There was also that Rin hadn't tried the variety of teas or non-coffee drinks and any one of those could be Mephisto's favorite!

The way Mephisto accepted the drink with a deep inhale, savoring the scent of it as contentment formed on his face, had Rin locking his gaze to the sight. Did he like it? Did he like it _the best?_

"Mmh-sorry, Rin," a sly smile accompanied Mephisto's words. Rin didn't bother hiding his disappointment, knowing the answer as soon as the apology left his mouth. "You're getting colder."

Now Rin glared at the drink as if it had betrayed him, pouting and slumping over the counter as he ruthlessly crossed it off his mental list.

Before he could speak, a cheerful noise erupted and broke Rin from the list of things to try next he'd been working through. Then he realized how little distance there was between them, jerking back just as Mephisto snapped to reveal a bright pink phone in his hands, the source of the ringing.

A scowl and drawn brows took the rest of the light teasing from Mephisto as he straightened with a glare of his own at the innocent phone.

"Wonderful," he said in a huff that shifted the strands of his bangs, tossing the coffee back as if to give himself the strength to answer his phone. "Even my lunches aren't free from these vultures."

In the same way he'd arrived, Mephisto vanished again. The shop echoed with the sounds of a snap as a pink cloud dissipated before Rin's eyes, taking the coffee and pastry along too.

"Man, he didn't even pay this time," Shima's voice tore Rin out of his frozen silence. A growl vibrated in his chest that he forced down, keeping it inaudible to human ears because he wasn't going to scare his employees.

"Shima, what are you even still doing here?" Izumo hissed, "You're behind on those orders!"

"Hey, that's right!" Rin blinked, waking up from the burning in his skull and beneath his ribs he didn't want to think about, jabbing a finger towards the door. "We're gonna get bad reviews if you wait any longer, dammit."

Smoke and a vast presence poofed into existence behind Rin, raising his hackles as he tensed his body to spring away from the threat at his spine. Spring away, or attack. Low growling began to rumble through him as he prepared to react.

Warmth and the scent of an expensive cologne enveloped Rin, followed by the feeling of a hand sliding down his back, glancing at the loops of his quivering tail, to end over-

He dragged in a ragged inhale, catching deeper scents entirely unique to one demon.

"How rude of me, I nearly forgot to pay," Mephisto purred into his ear, breath ghosting over the tip, along his cheek, both flushed a vivid red and _burning_. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rin."

Just as quickly as he'd returned, Mephisto vanished again, ozone and burning metal and the cologne he'd left all over Rin lingering in the air.

Shivers wracked his body in intermittent spasms. Rin's nostrils flared, chasing the scents, his claws extended to wedges, his tail a noose squeezing at his ribs until he began to feel light-headed because he couldn't breathe.

"Yes!" Shima cheered, shattering through Rin's shaking concentration for the second time that day. "That's what I was waiting for."

Pink moved like a target across Rin's vision. "Take care of our fearless leader, Izumo, I think he's malfunctioning after that stunning play by my favorite contender."

"I'd say stop making a scene, Shima, but I don't think anything we do will phase people at this point."

Izumo's drawl and weary sigh had Rin sucking in a final breath, willing the extended fangs he'd hidden under his lips and the claws he'd narrowly avoided gouging into the counter back to their human appearances.

"Go, Shima," Rin said, short, but at least his order was obeyed. When he looked to Izumo, all he got was her hands raised and lips twitching to hide a smile, but she dropped it too.

Rin reached to his back pocket, phantom heat in his cheeks as he pretended not to hear Izumo's snicker and removed the money Mephisto had stuck there.

* * *

"And then bam! Our lucky boss goes brighter than those flowers and he's getting felt up," Shima crowed to an unimpressed Bon and Godaiin, who didn't pretend to hide the lopsided smile on his face.

"Could you stop? We're in public," Bon said with a snarl that bordered on demonic, probably saving Rin the trouble.

It didn't cow Shima as he waved to one of their regulars, a college student sitting in the corner by the bonsai. "Nobody minds. You don't mind, Right, Karin?" An absent shake of her head she'd barely raised from the computer in front of her and he nodded, continuing, "See? Karin doesn't mind."

Was that a vein twitching in Rin's forehead? There was definitely one in Bon's.

"I told you it doesn't mean anything, Shima, he's a demon, they're just like that," Rin hissed, scrubbing at one of their remaining metal cups. He hadn't answered Shima when he'd asked why another was currently twisted and warped out of shape where it had been hidden behind the counter.

Shima's grin widened. He _loved_ when Rin said things like that. What did it make their esteemed boss? The one time he'd asked, Rin had brushed him off with a million babbled words that measured up to nothing. Shima was determined to figure out the mystery that was Rin, despite his talent for evasiveness that was honestly inspirational.

Not that anyone but Shima seemed to see it, but he was used to that.

"Should we really be encouraging this?" Godaiin spoke up, scratching at his cheek while Bon threw his hands up as if glad someone was finally talking sense.

"Uh, yes, why wouldn't we?" The pool with his name on those winnings said they should definitely be encouraging demon kings after Rin's tail, the one Shima was ninety-percent certain existed but had yet to see.

"Well, it's just," poor, normal Godaiin said, "Isn't that guy kinda shady?"

Pft! Shima snickered. Mirth shook his body because, understatement of the century! _Of course_ a demon king was shady as hell, actually, no sane person should ever approach one of them, if Shima was being honest. He certainly wouldn't be dating a creature that looked at him and other humans like interesting toys to pick apart at will. That stare they gave you that always said, "Look! You're a field mouse and the local predatory big cat can't decide if you're prey yet. Fun!"

But their Rin wasn't normal and half the time Shima wasn't sure he was as sane as first appearances suggested.

Something a simple guy like Godaiin wouldn't really understand, or he would, but not the way Shima did.

"Yeah, shady and rich! Rin's gotta get on that!" he said instead, ducking the swipe from Bon with long practice. It wasn't the worst thing he could have said! Bon should cut him some slack on this, he had a ton of other very thought out points on why it was a great idea for them to try hooking up their buddy, Rin, with the local demon king besides his probably infinite wealth that _also_ had to do with his infinite experience. If you knew what he meant.

"Ow!" Shima yelped when Bon's next swipe cuffed him over the ears and he rubbed at his head.

"I recognize that look, seriously, Shima? Can you not for five minutes?"

"Thanks, Bon," Rin said with another one of those growls that sent Shima's hair rising. "He's been like this all day and there's not enough orders to keep him busy."

Cruel, especially because they'd had plenty of orders, Shima just happened to have gotten enough gossip content that morning to keep him talking the rest of the day. Izumo had been the only one to appreciate it, though she never liked to admit those kinds of things.

Ah well, couldn't please everyone. Shima slid his way to the counter, batting his lashes and leaning to drop his chin in his palm before a grumpy Rin. "You got those deliveries all ready to get me out of your pretty hair?"

Pretty tousled, but maybe that was what demons went for. Shima wasn't an expert and he didn't want to be. He'd leave that dubious honor in Rin's hands.

"Yes, dammit, get out of my hair," Rin grumbled, though the way his lips twitched said he was starting to get over Shima's teasing.

Giving a two-fingered salute, Shima made his way to the door, opening it just as a cloud of gray smoke poofed into existence.

"Ah!" he shrieked, clutching the deliveries to his chest like they would protect him as he shrunk against the door.

The cloud cleared to reveal dangerous gold eyes, pupils slitting as they zeroed in on his body he couldn't stop from trembling.

Those eyes seemed to track the sweat-drop running down his throat, he opened his mouth and Shima saw the glint of light off needle-point fangs he knew could slice into delicate skin and he'd be dead before he touched the ground.

"Amaimon!" Rin's cheerful call broke the staredown, instantly taking the pressure from Shima and he could breathe again. "I didn't know you were coming today! This is great!"

Shima wanted to whimper. Great? Maybe for a known king like Samael who'd been batting in humanity's corner long enough they could _mostly_ assume they wouldn't die if he got upset. The earth king might as well have been a walking natural disaster for all he interacted with humans, one that apparently liked Rin's pastries.

"Come here, I've got something you're gonna love! I was trying the recipe out to bring it next time I saw you," Rin kept going like ordering around a king known for leveling mountains when he was pissed or the day ended in a 'Y' was normal.

An internal scream filled Shima's head as Amaimon left, walking past him into the shop, having decided Rin giving him orders _was_ fine, actually.

Bright joy had completely wiped the earlier grumpiness from Rin's face, and Shima swore he'd seen a lightening of the dangerous expression on Amaimon's into something matching.

He spared poor Bon and Godaiin a look, getting two miserable ones in turn and glad it was them, not him, who had to watch Rin make eyes at destruction wearing human skin.

'Ah," the thought breached his mind as he got the hell out of dodge, 'the competition.'

They'd have to rework their betting pool to deal with the new contender for Rin's heart.

* * *

Amaimon stalked past the shivering human, sniffing to get the fear-scent from his nose and replaced with something much better.

There, the wonderful smell of various pastries filled his senses, and overlaying it all was the strange scent he couldn't place of the creature who owned the shop. It smelled like kin, but Amaimon was sure Rin wasn't descended from earth kin.

Rin smiled at him without fear, but also without the blind worship he'd received from humans in times before.

It was refreshing after centuries of stale existence.

Gehenna was _boring_. _Assiah_ was boring. The humans and demons who came to his shop were _boring_. Amaimon was _bored_.

Or he had been until a fearless creature stumbled into his shop. He would keep prodding to see if Rin had the spark to get Amaimon through at least a few decades because his alternatives were wearing thin.

Before Rin had come, he'd considered those alternatives.

The last century was spent fighting increasingly slim odds, wearing his perfect host to the bone again and again, wondering what was worse, eternal degradation and a host that would fail him but at least the years carried weight, or now, where he couldn't distinguish one day to the next.

So Amaimon had come to Assiah. Samael hadn't had a solution when he'd asked what he should do with eternity those centuries after Father and their new reality settled around them, but he might now.

"Er, unless you're here to check on the gift?" Amaimon blinked from his thoughts, seeing hesitation on Rin's face as he went back over the question.

"No," he said, glancing to the window to see the camellia bonsai perfectly content in its new spot, "I'm bored."

Rin nodded as if he understood, though Amaimon didn't think that was possible. "It's too bad you didn't bring Behemoth, maybe I'll get Kuro to stop by and they can play together, that might be fun."

Offering ideas? Amaimon brought his clawed thumb to his mouth, gnawing at it as he wondered if it would be fun, as Rin said.

The reactions Rin gave to sudden surprises were much different than most. If he could pull Rin along with him, he might startle him into falling again. Amaimon would like that.

"Yes," he said and dropped his claw, ignoring the healing wound he'd made to scan the pastry selection. "What will I love?"

"This!" Rin's excitement came through without attempts to diminish it as he reached behind the counter. "Here-ah!"

A clatter sounded as Amaimon raised a brow, watching Rin curse and duck to grab something that had fallen to the floor.

"Damn thing, why haven't I tossed this yet?"

Rin's scowl when he rose again pointed at a metal cup twisted and warped out of shape-almost like it had been crushed by the hand holding it-that he dropped to the counter with an order to "Stay put." Humans liked to yell at inanimate objects, one of their consistent traits Amaimon had witnessed enough over the years to remember.

That was all secondary to what ended up set before Amaimon's eyes.

"What is it?" He was curious, there were so many combinations of ingredients and Rin managed to craft them together in wonderful ways each time.

"Green tea cheesecake, you know, because of your hair-oh! And the golden raspberries because of your eyes," Rin said with triumph in his voice and grin beaming back at Amaimon.

 _Oh._ He'd made it in Amaimon's image. There was even a triangle of white chocolate on top he assumed was meant to represent his horn. A strange effigy, but he already felt saliva pooling in his mouth and didn't bother holding himself back any more. The cake lasted long enough for Amaimon to taste the shortbread crust and rich cream layered over it, subtler notes of the green tea and fruit dancing across his vessel's tongue in a way that had him shivering. Before Father and Samael, he would have had the same cake and only tasted half of it.

Did it make up for the unchanging boredom he faced daily now?

"Hah, I guess I don't need to ask if you liked it, but uh," Rin trailed off as Amaimon cocked his head at him, "did you like it? This was kinda the trial version so I was testing it out..."

He tongued between the divots of his fangs, collecting the traces there and picking up the mint Rin must have added for flavor.

"Yes," Amaimon said and watched the delight over his simple statement bloom on Rin's face. His gaze went to the warped cup still on the counter next. Amaimon grabbed it to the curious sound Rin made. A flex of the energy he commanded and Amaimon drew fingers over the surface, smoothing it back into the intended shape.

"You fixed it!" Rin burst out, fumbling as Amaimon dropped the newly restored cup into his hands without preamble. "I was gonna have to replace that, so thanks."

"I'd say that gets you a drink on the house."

Even better. Amaimon nodded, gaze traveling the rest of the shop while he waited. The two humans in Rin's employ kept on the edges, a nervous smile from one and stoic tension from the other when they noticed his attention.

If he curled a lip over his fangs, they'd flinch. If he let the earth break beneath his feet, they and every human in the radius would be consumed in the crumbling ground. They knew it, too. The only one who _didn't_ seem to know was the strange creature humming over the drink he made for Amaimon.

The strange creature with the even stranger scent smiled and presented him with his newest creation. Amaimon inhaled, considering the scents and the way they mingled and giving a pleased hum.

"What's this one?" he asked as he peered into the swirls of vibrant green between the crushed mint, ice, and thick layer of cream at the surface.

"Well, I had extra of that mint syrup I made for the cheesecake so I made a mint cream iced tea-ah, and there's sweetened condensed milk at the base."

So he tasted, drink half-finished and mint shocking across his senses, followed by the milk he hadn't bothered to mix until it left a coating over the bottom of the plastic cup.

That was the best part. Amaimon's brows scrunched and he tilted his head, letting his tongue extend to collect every drop. Some dripped onto him, making white lines over his cheek he frowned at. The cup went to the counter and Amaimon swiped his tongue, getting the rest of the drink with the last move.

"Ngh." The soft, strangle sound took Amaimon from his head. He sharpened on the sight that greeted him, interest roused. There, red stained Rin's cheeks, his pupils dilated and pinned to Amaimon's face without seeing as if zoned out. That was interesting.

Just as Amaimon considered if Rin might want to share the drink he'd made, the door to the shop opened and Rin snapped from his daze to welcome the human that entered.

Amaimon wanted to scowl, but there wasn't a point. He reached over as an impulse hit him and, before Rin could realize what was happening, flicked him across the forehead.

"Ah!" Just as Amaimon had expected, another flush rose in Rin's cheeks as he rubbed at the light mark Amaimon had made, but he didn't look scared, just confused.

"Oh, are you leaving?" Rin said, blinking as Amaimon nodded, and somehow understanding him where so many hadn't in the past.

"Bye, Amaimon!"

He left, wondering again at the warmth filling his vessel that only seemed to show up when he caught sight and scent of one creature. Like laying on a heat rock, and Amaimon could bask the entire day away.

It was _interesting._

* * *

Bracing himself with the drink Rin had created for him allowed Mephisto the necessary tempering of his irritation to _not_ terrify the humans at his office when he arrived.

Though the more savvy of his humans picked up on the irritation anyway and shrunk back in their desks as he passed.

"Ah, Sir Pheles," one of the braver ones said.

"Yes, dear?" His attempts at soothing them only half-worked.

"You've got a visitor, sir."

Yes, he'd realized the moment he'd appeared on the premises.

They were too new to know that. Mephisto nodded and thanked them, keeping his manners as he made his way to see the one he had no doubt was rifling through his things without a single ounce of shame.

"Today has tested me, so I'd appreciate if whatever you're here for doesn't add to that," he said as he opened the door.

"Azazel."

"Samael!" Red eyes flashed with unhidden humor as Azazel grinned over from his desk. He raised his hands and smoke poofed to reveal two six-packs of the cheap beer Azazel enjoyed.

"I brought drinks."

"So I see," Mephisto said as he went to his seat at the desk, dropping into it with a sigh and accepting one of the six-packs as Azazel took a seat opposite.

His eye twitched when Azazel made himself comfortable, feet thunking to the surface where they crossed and leaning back in his chair as he flicked the cap off his first bottle. Aside from the grin stretching on Azazel's face, he didn't remove his feet and Mephisto gave up hoping he'd learn decorum any time soon, breaking into his own drink.

"So, what's brought you into town?" he began the small talk after watching as Azazel scratched idle claws through the beard he'd grown long again.

Azazel scoffed when he heard his question, waving in a flippant motion Mephisto took to mean he was having a similar week.

"They keep throwing new rules and regulations at me, as if there aren't enough already. I miss when they settled things with a fistfight." That, Mephisto understood very well, but there were always loopholes to exploit, and he knew Azazel was more than able to find them if he got truly irritated.

He was just being lazy. "You let them take too many liberties and this happens. I did warn you. Many times."

In the time Mephisto had taken to berate him, Azazel had put two of his six bottles away, something Mephisto noted because, while he was a demon and as prone to excess as they all were, he usually preferred to enjoy his leisures. Unlike a certain earth king, who inhaled food the same way he had from the start.

Clearly, there were more than simple irritations amiss.

"You should speak to our dear Lucifer about regulations, he seems to enjoy creating them in his new empire," Mephisto continued with a roll of his eyes.

A snort and Azazel laughed. "And _you_ love your loopholes, the janky cog in his smooth-running machine."

"A janky cog, me?" Mephisto feigned insult, though honestly, he was anything but a _cog_. "I'm the only thing keeping him on his toes. We can't let him get too complacent in peace."

Claws twisted around the intricate braids in Azazel's beard, a lopsided smirk forming at Mephisto before falling away. Another bottle joined the empty pile.

"I suppose Lucifer must be grateful you don't give him any headaches, then," Mephisto said when Azazel didn't respond. "Keeping yourself entertained in your marble halls with your scholars-how is the library, by the way?"

The question prodded Azazel from his contemplation.

"Great! Except my humans won't let me put a waterslide in the place," he said, scowling at the inconvenience. "I wanted to have it going through my office but they kept grouching at me about 'the historical integrity of the oldest library' and 'preserving things for future generations' as if they didn't think my idea was the coolest."

"Humans do love their preservation for posterity's sake, I would have put in the waterslide." Mephisto nodded his sage agreement, wondering if they'd reached the end of Azazel's tarrying.

"Exactly!" Azazel's fist met his hand. He reached for the second to last bottle. The shorter strands of hair on his head stood in frazzled tufts. "I knew you'd understand."

"But…" he trailed off and glanced from the heavy consideration he'd been giving his drink, rolling the bottle between his fingers when he noticed Mephisto's unwavering attention.

"Someone messed with the books."

Mephisto didn't react except to set his own bottle down in a slow, careful movement, the heavy glass tapping to the surface of the desk. His claws met the surface next, a metronome picking up as he smiled.

"Oh? Did those scholars finally get into your pornography stash?" he said to the red eyes watching him with a heaviness neither of their words carried.

"Hah! If they did, I would have heard the screams from my office and I wouldn't be coming to you because the mystery would be solved," Azazel crowed, fingers tightening dangerously over the delicate glass.

"What happened?" Mephisto said just as Azazel closed his eyes and gave up the game.

"Someone or some _ones_ messed with the wards," he said in a long sigh that shivered from his mouth he scrubbed at a second later. "Used concentrated Armumahel crystals to nullify them."

Mephisto's heart slowed in his chest. "And you have no clues besides that."

Not if Azazel had come to him, though given the nature of what existed behind those particular wards, he might have come anyway.

"Samael, there aren't many with access to those crystals in that concentration," came the slow words, though it wasn't new information, just a grave reminder of what their situation looked like. A thread pulled taught in the timeline, snapping into place and sending new ripples Mephisto acknowledged and set aside for the moment.

"I figure you out of anyone has the most at stake here," Azazel's gaze flicked to his fingers where they kept up their pattern on the desk. "You're pretty much the last culprit who'd be behind this."

It was the truth. Mephisto nodded.

"So," he exhaled in a whoosh, mouth quirking in a weak smile that failed as it formed, "I'm trusting you to take it from here. I'll tell you if I discover anything else."

"Thank you, Azazel," Mephisto said as Azazel stood, last bottle in hand. It ended up tilted in his direction before he raised it to his mouth and the tension drained to leave him in a lackadaisical slump, hand shoved into his pocket as he vanished from Mephisto's office.

Mephisto echoed the long breath. In the end, Azazel both had and hadn't helped his day any. He snapped to clear the empty bottles from his desk and began considering his next play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh s n a p :O
> 
> Also, I am pretending Azazel is like a more chill Shiro for this fic. He kinda gives me a mix between Roman philosopher and frat/dude-bro vibes just from the fact that he's bffs with Lewin and looks like he's just straight chilling in his crystal shape in the series lmao His groove's been thrown off tho~


	7. A Cage, Crafted by Gentle Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Turns out coffee shops are demonic hot spots or something. Things heat up at the shop in not so fun ways and Rin needs a cooldown after. Good thing Amaimon’s great for blowing off steam!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: Rin’s shop is just a revolving door of demons at this point lmao Sorry to the regular customers, Rin should probably put a warning sign or waver out for everyone. 
> 
> Hope u guys like this one, I did 90% of it in a car on the road and I'm posting from my phone so rip me amirite XD I'll go back over this and add in all the fancy italics when I find a computer, so please forgive any errors ahhhhhhh
> 
> Recipes:
> 
> Brown Sugar Milk Tea
> 
> https://food52.com/recipes/81063-brown-sugar-boba-bubble-tea
> 
> Song of the Chapter: Are You Like Me by New Dialogue
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/track/43EfSXYBRjPlLgYc1vnDtz?si=oS03rA_nRjaYGqWxX6QOog
> 
> Fangs by Night Riots
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/track/71PKZrhUMowmuTCFPZ6aCY?si=YYNah3mcSkyWRYIRp4FCIw  
  
---  
  
It would be time to bring out the seasonal drinks soon. Rin sniffed the air and scented the beginnings of fall.

Would Mephisto like those drinks better? He shook his head, at least he was sure Amaimon wouldn't be complaining about whatever he chose to make. Pride burst in little bubbles at the anticipation of Amaimon's reaction. Maybe, if Amaimon didn't come in later, Rin would bring something to him again.

"So, what's on the menu for today?" Izumo said from her station.

"Wha-I mean, the usual, I guess?" Rin tried to understand her question, drawing a blank at her pointed stare as she raised a brow, his response apparently not the correct one.

"No, Rin," she rolled her eyes, "for your 'bet' you've got going on with the literal concept of space-time."

The way she said it had Rin squinting in suspicion, though he answered with the truth, ignoring what he thought might be an insult to his intelligence. "It's still kinda warm out, so I figured I could make him one of our iced bubble teas. Maybe he likes tea more than coffee, or it's the amount of cream I mix into it, though it could also be the sugar levels?"

His muttering just got him a long sigh as Izumo returned to her work sketching out the new specials on their chalkboard menu.

Which tea should he use as a base? He debated it as several customers came and went, one of their regulars taking up the back corner with a book that told Rin he'd be there for a while. It occupied him through the morning, even when Mephisto didn't show up at his usual time, the tension stayed away. Rin found himself at ease, confident Mephisto would be back one way or another.

Shima came in from his last run, glancing around before turning to Izumo. "Anything yet?"

"Stop being such a vulture," she huffed as he made his way to lounge against the wall while he waited for Rin.

Rin let their bickering wash over him along with the sounds of the shop, waving the last few customers out. He hummed, contentment filling the smile on his face where it welled from his chest as he fought not to let his tail wag too hard beneath his shirt.

Today would be a good day.

As if to confirm his determination, Rin picked up the sound he'd been listening for.

"I don't even need super hearing," Shima piped up, grinning at Izumo. "I can just look at his face and know who's coming around the corner."

"He's an open-book," Izumo said with a nod, unimpressed by the quick scowl Rin shot at them before the door opening stole his attention back.

"Mephisto," Rin greeted, already starting on the drink.

"Rin," Mephisto responded, something about the way he said Rin's name warm, familiar, and warming Rin in turn. His tail tried to wag again, but Rin kept it contained to a twitch.

"Here, oolong milk tea with brown sugar tapioca pearls." He placed the drink into Mephisto's waiting hand and enjoyed the deep inhale he gave.

"Hm," came the drawn-out hum from Mephisto as he chewed one of the pearls, "warmer."

Rin's pulse jolted and a grin cracked onto his face. "Yes! Wait-you gotta give me more of a hint than that!"

What about this drink made it closer?

Mephisto shook a clawed finger Rin's way with a tut. "I won't make it that easy for you, Rin."

"Aw come on," Rin pouted, "I need something!"

It looked like he at least thought about it, gaze going skyward as he sucked a few more pearls from the bottom of the tea.

"Tell you what, Rin," he said just as Rin debated throwing something out to sweeten the pot, "I'll give you this much. It's warmer than the last drink, but colder than the one before that."

Giddiness filled Rin as he let out a cheer, though he quickly muffled it because that was definitely too loud for his small shop. Izumo's put-upon eye-roll had heat rising in his cheeks he hoped wasn't visible as he smiled up at Mephisto, making to ask if he wanted a pastry and move the conversation away from his embarrassment.

Something itched on the edges of his senses.

Mephisto's eyes narrowed, a deadening of the contentment that left them cold. Flat.

Smoke erupted in the space behind Mephisto, who'd already turned to face it with his body deceptively lax and his drink still in hand.

It cleared, revealing the source of the presence that sent Rin's skin prickling and nose twitching with the urge to sneeze. His eyes watered as he scanned the entity now taking up room in his shop while Rin fought to keep his hackles down.

A sickly sheen on pale hair like an oil spill swept over sallow skin and a dark suit. Equally as pale violet eyes scanned Rin before promptly ignoring him to focus on Mephisto. The smile that formed was anything but friendly, and it didn't reach the rest of his face as he gave a short nod Rin thought might have been the minimum of a bow.

"Samael, is this where you spend your days now?" came the voice as slick as the rest of him, though it didn't cover the condescension seeping past sneering lips. "Not the luxury Iblis enjoys, but I can't say I understand that whole mess either."

"Astaroth, I see Iblis got ahold of you." Mephisto's face stayed hidden to Rin, but his dry tone was a far cry to the light, teasing one he spoke to Rin with, and he positioned his shoulders in a way that had Rin straightening his own from the hunch he'd been in.

"Yeah, said you were feeling insulted or something." Astaroth's words sent Rin stiffening. Had that been meant as an attack? "So I tracked you down and here you are. Not your usual scene."

"Well," Mephisto said, bright, not moving from where he stood in front of Rin, "I like to change things up. I wouldn't want to go getting stagnant or I might as well lay down to rot."

Astaroth scoffed, shoving his hands into his pockets, though Rin had seen claws and white knuckles, strained as they vanished. "So? What's it about this hole in the wall that you like so much?"

The bored stare roved his shop in a slow pass and, despite Mephisto working as a barrier, met Rin's, snapping to him and staying. Pupils slit, predatory.

Fear hung heavy to Rin's senses, a sour tang emanating from Izumo and Shima and the customer unlucky enough to be stuck in the seat behind Astaroth, too far from the door to flee.

Rin's lip slid upwards over a fang and he smiled.

Then he stepped around the counter to Mephisto's side.

"Hey, welcome to the Blue Devil," he said, feeling Mephisto fall utterly still next to him as he stared Astaroth in the eye and refused to flinch. "It might not look like much, but I'm happy to get something started for you."

He gave a sharp gesture of his hand towards Shima, ordering him without words to get over to Izumo where she'd frozen behind the coffee machine Amaimon had fixed. It spurred Shima into gear, heart rabbiting in his chest but obeying Rin's unspoken command. Good, he was safely behind Rin, but he still had to get the customer away.

"Huh?" Astaroth grunted, gaze narrowing as he broke the distance he'd kept between his spot and Mephisto, though he only came forward a few steps until a soft hum from Mephisto stopped him from towering over Rin. He inhaled, scenting Rin out and not hiding it.

That put some space between him and the customer, Rin nodding to the man with a wide smile as he shooed at him with a careless wave. "Just one moment please-You look like you're done with that, want me to clear the table for you?"

At the desperate shake of the man's head, Rin steeled himself and walked past Mephisto. Another two steps brought him to Astaroth, the warmth of his vessel glancing over Rin's side as he blocked him from the shivering man giving off the worst of the fear scent. Rin had to get him out because it was getting hard to concentrate when he wanted to bristle, wanted to let his fangs drop fully, wanted to keep Astaroth in sight at all times.

But he couldn't, not when he had to keep everyone safe.

"Thank you for stopping in, have a good one," he said, placing a calming touch to the man's shoulder, patting him through the jolt as he directed him towards the door with a push, watching him stumble free onto the sidewalk.

Done. He just had to get back to Izumo and Shima.

Still keeping his body language relaxed, Rin turned with the empty coffee cup and plate in hand and met pale eyes appraising him without blinking.

"You," Astaroth said as if testing the word, " _you're_ what's got him hanging around here."

Rin stilled, pulse slowing until it pounded a steady rhythm that rushed through his ears and made it hard to hear.

"What are you?" Astaroth moved closer, a faint glow in his eyes.

Hold his fangs back, he just had to hold his fangs back. Rin smiled and stepped around Astaroth for the second time. His instincts beat at his chest to turn, but he still couldn't listen to them, not when Izumo and Shima were exposed.

Keep the target on himself.

"Hah," he barked a laugh, remembering to answer what he hoped was a rhetorical question, "what do you mean?"

Ahead, Mephisto stood in a way that brought to mind serpents about to strike as Rin took another step across the divide between Astaroth and the relative safety Mephisto's side promised.

A shift of clothes alerted Rin and he jerked around to see claws reaching for his wrist. His lip curled, growls trapped behind the fangs he couldn't keep hidden anymore. Rin started to drop the cup in his hand just as Astaroth neared the final inch of space.

"That is close enough, don't you think, Astaroth?"

Heat brushed Rin's wrist, but nothing touched him, and he snapped his head up to see what had stopped Astaroth.

"What's it to you, anyway?" Astaroth snarled at Mephisto, sallow cheeks flushed. "You don't even have your mark on any of these worms. Why should I give a shit if I'm being disrespectful?"

The grip on Astaroth didn't loosen, skin reddening under the pressure and bones creaking in his arm.

"It's. _Rude_ ," Mephisto said between fangs bared just enough to be a threat, cold fury bearing down on Astaroth the longer he wouldn't be cowed. "Have a bit of pride and self-respect."

"Still with the gentleman act," Astaroth hissed out as Rin darted his gaze between them, body twisting so he stood in front of where Izumo and Shima cowered. "Haven't you gotten bored with that tired bullshit?"

"Enough. Remove yourself to my manor and wait for me there. We're going to discuss _manners._ " The order from Mephisto left no room for argument. Astaroth argued anyway.

"Maybe I want to get something here, Samael." His smile dripped with a shallow mimicry of humor. "It'd be rude not to, right?"

Blood sang in Rin's veins, his muscles tensed until he vibrated with the violence in the air.

It crested, Astaroth speaking through crushed glass that shattered on every word snarled up at Mephisto.

"I want to see what's so interesting about this new _toy_ of yours."

Time slowed with the claws of the hand not held at bay by Mephisto snapping out to grab Rin's wrist.

His breath escaped in a sharp whistle of pain as Astaroth ground his bones together just shy of true damage.

Fire flared in Rin's core.

A second shot past followed by another gasped breath. Astaroth stared at Rin with wide eyes, pupils dilating as his mouth dropped, frozen.

Enough.

Rin pinned Astaroth with his gaze, nostrils flaring on the slow breath he exhaled. He turned his wrist in the weak circle of Astaroth's fingers, his grip grown limp the longer Rin held their staredown.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Rin said, voice low, guttural, a promise of flames on his tongue as he took his wrist back. "Now."

"Ha-" Astaroth gasped again, chest heaving once around the stifled syllable that died as soon as it formed. His head shook, blinking in a flutter of lashes that broke the daze he'd been under, resurfacing to the shop.

In a jerky motion, he dropped his hand to his side as if to hide it from Rin and stepped back until Mephisto's iron hold on his remaining arm jolted him to a stop.

"My manor, Astaroth," the glacial words from Mephisto fell like a guillotine in the silence.

"Tch, I'm going," Astaroth spat, tugging away in a stumble when Mephisto let him free.

Smoke filled Rin's shop, a last snapshot of pale eyes locked onto his as Astaroth vanished.

Nothing happened for the next few moments besides shuddering breaths. The smoke dissipated to leave the spot empty except the rays of sun through the window as the scent of rot and moldering things faded.

Whimpering from behind Rin broke the stillness and he turned to see Shima slumping against the back counter, body limp and pupils pinpricks in his eyes as he stared at the space in front of him without seeing.

"Hey-uh," Rin began, moving to comfort Shima and Izumo because they clearly needed it.

"Rin."

Warmth on his bruised wrist pulled Rin to the grave expression Mephisto wore. His hands enveloped him, wrist wrapped in a soothing pressure as Mephisto drew his thumb over the line of Rin's veins.

"Mephisto?"

Green eyes swept up to scan Rin, ending on his face as Mephisto frowned.

"I apologize for his behavior," the touch settled in a firm press to Rin's skin, "it will not happen again."

Oh. Rin's heart fluttered and a weak smile tugged at his lips. "It's no big deal, I'm just glad he left without hurting anyone."

Things could have gone so much worse.

Mephisto knew it too. Danger still lay beneath his skin, though he kept it at bay, controlled as he met Rin's smile with one of his own.

"You did well, Rin."

The praise brought a stuttering of Rin's heart and he floundered under it, unsure how to respond and rapidly heating at the continued contact.

"Th-thanks, Mephisto," he said in a mumble, mind scrambling to find something to get the too-serious mood shifted to a more light-hearted topic. "Ah, I was going to ask-before he showed up-do you want a pastry?"

It worked, Mephisto's hands leaving Rin's and taking the heat that had built there along with them as he lost the somber air and switched to a grin. "Yes, I would love one."

"Let's try not to goad any more powerful demons, hm, Rin?" he teased as Rin grabbed the pastry he'd chosen. "I wouldn't want to lose my favorite shop if I'm not around to act as a deterrent."

Laughter bubbled from Rin, though he wanted to point out that it was Mephisto that had brought trouble to his door in the first place-but later, he had to do damage control.

He left, pastry in hand as Rin stared after until he shook himself and went to deal with comforting Izumo and Shima.

* * *

Samael appeared silently and without fanfare in the dark halls of his manor. He felt Astaroth deeper inside and slipped through the shadows to appear at his spine.

" _Hurk-_ " Astaroth's gasp cut out with a wet sound as Samael shoved his fist through to the other side of his vessel's chest, past ribs that cut into his skin, until he lifted and curled his arm to bring him closer in a mimicry of a hug.

"I see now why Iblis punished you when you saw her," he said to the trembling form, though whether it was from pain or fury, he couldn't tell yet. "Her punishment clearly didn't stick if you're already behaving this way."

Gurgling answered him, not that he particularly wanted Astaroth's meaningless words at the moment.

He preferred his silence.

"After your little display, I think I'm owed an apology," Samael continued as if he'd gotten a reply.

With his other hand, he snapped, having raised it in front of Astaroth so that he knew what was coming.

Void collected at his command in a gentle embrace until it swallowed them into a pocket of Gehenna. A flick sent Astaroth from his arm to hang, blood sluicing down his body without anything obstructing it as he convulsed.

"Iblis must still have been irritated with you, to send you to me so soon," he hummed, clearing the traces of Astaroth from his suit and approaching. "She would have seen you were in this mood of yours and known you were looking for a fight."

His head cocked to the side as he considered the weak glare Astaroth sent from beneath bangs sweat had plastered to his forehead. Still defiant even now? There was probably a reason he would need to pick out from what remained of Astaroth once he'd finished with him, but Samael's good will had vanished.

It had _vanished_ when Astaroth's claws had wrapped their way around Rin's wrist and made him wince in pain. He'd seen the reddening skin and heard the fragile bones grinding together, known it would take one thoughtless act to maim Rin.

"She would have known you would test me." He decided the proper punishment for Astaroth's transgressions.

"Have you been enjoying this perfect vessel?" Samael circled the shivering form, feeling the glare track him from eyes glowing with ire. Astaroth couldn't do much more than that. Not with the power Samael used to keep his aspect in place.

Normally, he would show lenience, using just enough force to allow whoever he'd caught the illusion of escape, that, if they struggled enough, they could break from the shadows he bound them with.

Astaroth wouldn't be breaking these bonds.

At the thought, Samael traced his claws down the taut line of Astaroth's arm. Layers of muscle and fat parted to the white bone beneath, red spilling to be absorbed by the tendrils winding bruises into his skin.

"And peacetime, how has it been treating you?" The question got more burbles in what would be growls if Astaroth had full use of his vocal cords.

In their pocket of Gehenna, he wouldn't be healing until Samael said he could. But, he had wanted to catch up, so, "Is it boredom that's got you acting out?"

A low moan of fury muffled in the dark as Astaroth arched his body until bones popped and dislocated. His fangs snapped together uselessly in a determined search for their target.

The efforts got him a sneer from Samael and the shadows pulling until his limbs threatened to dislocate completely.

"If it's boredom, why not find Amaimon and ask him to play with you," he said in careless suggestion. "He's no doubt languishing after spending so long fighting and killing anything that looks his way in Gehenna."

Fighting only ever took so much of Amaimon's interest before his destruction became internally focused and problems arose. He might welcome a playmate more at his level after the years of stagnation. Though it all depended if Astaroth's temper cooled enough from his current state to where he wouldn't destroy Amaimon in a fit of pique.

Panting breaths shook Astaroth, his chest finally healed enough to receive oxygen from both lungs. The sounds took Samael from his considerations on where to send Astaroth next to focus on the present.

"But I don't think you're good company right now," Samael said, tugging at the shadows to enhance his words and listening for the shallow gasps Astaroth released that spoke of agony. "I'm sure if I brought up the suggestion to the others they would agree a time-out is in order until you cool down."

" _Sam-uh, Samael,_ " Astaroth choked out in place of a scream, black, spade-like tail twitching in the darker shadows in a way that meant it wanted to lash.

"Hush, I'm speaking," Samael said as he reached to the tail and _squeezed._

" _Ahh-ah-hah!_ " Screams broke along with the tears his brutal pressure dragged through Astaroth's lips. Sightless eyes blurred as saliva and blood coated the gaping mouth before he took his hand from the tail now broken in its bindings.

"Manners," came his next non-sequitur as he stepped around to smile into the twisted visage Astaroth wore. "Manners maketh man, as the humans say."

Manners also made up their hierarchy, even if they were entirely dependent on the whims of the individual demon higher up the totem pole.

"And you know I like chaos and destruction as much as the next demon, but," he tutted, " _not_ in my territory and not when you're ignoring me."

Samael's smile fell, losing the thin veneer of joy covering the emptiness at his core.

"Just so we're clear, and in case you forgot after avoiding me for so long, I'll remind you," he let the threat hang in the infinite space between them, saw the way Astaroth's blown pupils reflected the glow in his own eyes as he neared.

He placed a clawed hand to the trembling wrist, rubbing it as he recalled the look on Rin's face when he'd left him, and completed his reminder.

"Whether I have a claim on something or not, _everything_ in my territory is _mine._ "

Astaroth screamed as Samael closed his fist in a gentle, unceasing pressure. His skin reddened, then purpled, then flattened to the bone.

Bone began to crumble.

Slowly but as surely as the march of time, Samael ground bone and skin to pulp.

Gravity followed close behind, increasing and inescapable for Astaroth while Samael kept his hold on the mess he'd made of his wrist, a parody of the soothing one he'd laid on Rin.

Screams became the strangled rasps of Gehenna, Astaroth cursing in their demonic tongue as Samael collapsed the space around them until even speaking became impossible.

Then breathing.

Convulsions followed, an erratic dance Samael watched for several seconds stretching as long as he willed them to.

They stopped and he exhaled, lips curled in a humorless smile at a punishment fulfilled.

He snapped and brought them back to Assiah, reality returned along with the ragged gasp torn from Astaroth as his healing kicked in unimpeded.

"Now then," Mephisto said, bright and clapping once over the heaving, "why don't you make yourself at home. We can grab something to eat later."

Grunting answered him as Astaroth slumped to the floor. His eyes slit open, sightless for a moment, then rolling to find Mephisto's gaze as he nodded his acquiescence in a short jerk of his head before closing them again.

That done, Mephisto waved, tossing out, "I'll be back, you happened to interrupt my work day, you know."

"Ciao, Astaroth," he finished, taking himself from the room to his office and settling into his chair.

So far, he'd been visited, or visited, or at least spoken to everyone but the one being he _really_ wanted to see.

His fingers tapped to the desk in a metronome as he went over the first ripple of the current wave of this timeline.

A spiderling had come to him some months ago with a message.

Beelzebub needed to meet. He would be stopping by soon.

Then Beelzebub never showed.

Now, without the spider around to act as a deterrent, the flies were beginning to move in. He'd already seen the pests on the edges of his territory and while traveling abroad. The rest of the web had gone to ground, all traces of their nests left barren.

And unless Astaroth was hiding their resident spider under a rock somewhere, this meeting would end fruitlessly as well.

There were only so many avenues left to him before he exhausted the obvious and had to get creative.

Mephisto set it aside to deal with the banalities his empire demanded. It was possible Astaroth had information he would suss out over their meal.

Until then, he had paperwork.

* * *

"If you guys need to go home early, it's ok, I can handle the rest of the crowd until the other guys get here," Rin said in the silence after Mephisto left.

His gaze flicked between the pale, strained expressions on Izumo and Shima as he waited for them to regain their composure.

Izumo opened her mouth, coughing when nothing came out. She shook her head in a violent toss and glared, though it seemed directed at herself as she tried again.

"N-no. No, I'm ok to finish out the shift," she said, glaring harder when Rin made to assure her she didn't have to.

"Yeah," Shima's usual casual attitude faltered, an attempt at a smile that faded and crumpled until a glance at Izumo firmed it. "Yeah-I mean, this is probably the safest place now. You heard him, it won't happen again, so we're under his protection. Right?"

"Hah!" Izumo laughed, shrill, "dumbass, we wouldn't need protection if he wasn't coming around here."

They were right. Rin winced, about to just order them home and thinking about if he had the budget for damage pay. Koneko would know.

"We're fine, boss," Shima said, hands coming up in placation as Izumo nodded along.

Her hands trembled as she righted a few things that had gotten knocked over on the counter when they'd shoved into it earlier. The movement seemed to jolt Shima and he straightened, the smile that formed next completely back to normal.

"Cool, so get cracking, boss, I have tips to collect on those orders," he said with a cheeky motion at Rin.

Rin mirrored him, exhaling to try releasing the tension in his body. He had to put the morning behind him, had to get back to business.

It didn't work.

Blood still sang in his veins, his claws flexing as he squeezed his fingers into his palms, trying for calm.

Around him, the world returned to its natural order. Customers came and went in a wave he barely registered beyond the rote responses necessary to serve them until the next wave arrived.

All because…

Where he'd been gripped throbbed with a phantom ache. A remembered threat of pressure that could turn from bruising to crushing at a whim.

At one point, Izumo and Shima left, replaced by Bon and Godaiin. Somehow, Rin managed his way through an explanation of the morning's events.

Claws pricked to his palms again, and again Rin forced them back.

He wanted, _needed,_ something to get the violence pushing out from every cell drained off so he could breathe without heat filling his lungs.

He needed to get out. But where?

Black caught his eye, gaze snapping to the movement until he registered what it was.

"Kuro," Rin said, hoping he sounded normal but knowing he'd missed the mark by the way Kuro's ears pinned back to his skull.

"Hey guys," he began fumbling with his apron ties, "I'm going to head out early today. Let me know if anything happens you need me for, ok?"

"Yeah, ok, Rin," Bon said, not questioning Rin, a frown on his face and staring like he watched a dangerous animal, one that lived behind a barrier that promised safety to the viewer.

"Come on, Kuro," Rin motioned and felt more than saw Kuro fall into step behind him as they left.

Silence existed between them, the sounds of the city and each breath from Rin's mouth the only ones he tracked.

In the back of his mind, the morning played on repeat, but it wasn't until he sat on the bus that he came to and realized where he was.

"Kuro," he said, getting slit pupils locking onto his, "why don't we stop by Amaimon's and see if Behemoth wants to play with you?"

Kuro's answer drifted through his ears, an agreement, even if the exact words got lost in the static.

The scenery blurred outside the window, but it seemed so slow anyway, and Rin wanted to go faster than the train allowed. He clenched his hands over his tensed thighs, leg bouncing like that would help.

A blink, they arrived. He got off the train, time vanishing between steps until the door to Amaimon's shop stopped him in his tracks. His hand rose to push inside, and the scents he associated with Amaimon enveloped him, swallowing him in the green.

"Amaimon," Rin turned down one of the overgrown rows, meeting gold eyes that glowed from the gloom. He cracked a smile at the slow scan over his body.

"It was kind of a crazy day at the shop," his skin buzzed, he continued, "I was thinking-if you wanted to take a break-that we could go play with Kuro and Behemoth."

"Ok," Amaimon said after holding Rin's stare for another beat, whistling in a sharp note that brought Behemoth tumbling from under one of the shelves.

His next action took them from the shop entirely. A snap, and Rin sucked in a breath through his nose as he picked up the new scents.

An empty field greeted him, wind sweeping his hair over his cheeks and the tall grasses over faraway hills. It was the perfect spot.

"Rin," Amaimon's head cocked at him, bird-like, "are you playing, too?"

Aching filled Rin's lungs, his bones, every pore of his body with _want,_ and he trembled once, before willing himself still.

"No, I can't," he said, the words pulling themselves past his teeth one by one.

Whether or not his smile convinced Amaimon, he settled to the grass anyway, sinking down and leaning back on his hands. "I'll just watch you guys."

Gold eyes wouldn't leave Rin's until shifting through the grasses revealed Behemoth rolling at their feet. Kuro brushed up along Rin, a comforting purr in his chest. Rin almost reached to grab black fur, but he dug his fingers into the ground instead and the moment passed.

Amaimon turned in a shift of his maroon jacket, Kuro and Behemoth having broken him from Rin. A ripple went across Rin's senses as Amaimon sloughed off the apathy he'd worn. His black dagger claws gleamed at his sides where they hung loosely.

Popping came from Amaimon's neck when he cracked it in an easy motion. Then he vanished.

Kuro and Behemoth darted after him and snarls shattered in the air.

Where before the image of a small cat existed, a massive body took its place, Kuro growing to his major form to better match his playmates.

It made him an easy target for Behemoth to launch towards, but Kuro growled and lashed with his twin tails to knock the incoming body away.

The distraction allowed Amaimon his opening, and he appeared from the sky, stones dropping in a pelting rain to batter the two caught by his attack.

Earth shook at his landing, though Kuro had managed to dodge despite the hailstorm while Behemoth clawed at Amaimon's ankles.

He got one of Amaimon's boots to his nose for his efforts, flinging him across the field with a broken yelp.

Yowling, and Kuro's claws gouged at Amaimon but just caught the edges of his jacket, adding yet more tears at the frayed ends. He met the same fate as Behemoth as Amaimon rounded on him and sent him flying in the opposite direction.

Their game continued with Behemoth returning and Kuro righting himself to charge back towards Amaimon. Laughter joined the growls alongside the destruction of the once quiet field.

As the ground heaved each time one of them met, Rin clenched his fingers harder together. Fistfuls of soil crushed and impacted until his knuckles whitened, then pain flared and Rin realized he'd pierced through his palms. Small, tented indents on the backs of his hands told him what the throbbing in his nerve-endings already did.

He'd nearly punctured through to the other side, hot blood seeping into the soil and staining the grass around him vivid red. He removed his claws one by one, forcing them from between tendons and muscle as he flattened his palms to the soil to stop from repeating the move.

Healing the deep wounds ached.

 _Rin_ ached _._ He ached with the urge to join them, the urge to fling himself into their midst, to feel the heart-pounding adrenaline and claws that weren't his own raking down his skin in glancing blows narrowly avoided.

Without his say, a low whine built in his chest but ended up squeezed behind his ribs because, if he was too loud, they might hear him over their cacophony.

They might hear him, and then they might stop. _That_ would be worse than the way things were now. At least this way Rin could watch. He could imagine, and, with the wind tossed up from them, the power they called, it was enough.

It was _enough_. He could have _this_.

Inhaling brought the scents of petrichor even though there'd been no rain, not if the dried ground meant anything, which meant in turn that it was all Amaimon. His scent mixed with the familiar one of Kuro and Behemoth's lizard musk, carried over the horizon to Rin on every lungful.

Waves of power washed through the grass and brushed Rin's hair to whip at his face. It buzzed around him, an ocean welling, caressing, as if calling out the power at his own core to emerge. Rin couldn't let himself answer, keeping his core locked down tight with years of practice.

He lost himself, drifting in the flow of their playing. A smile tugged at his lips, happy in a distant way to see the wide, fang-baring grin on Amaimon's face and know he'd put it there. He'd been the one to replace the boredom Amaimon had complained about with something like joy.

Happy.

Kuro's excited chattering broke Rin from the light swaying he'd begun, body having taken up the pattern as if mirroring the pulses of energy.

"Rin!" Kuro cried, laughter breathless as he leapt into Rin's arms, once again in minor form. "That was fun!"

"You guys done?" Rin asked as he rubbed the mussed fur around Kuro's ears, accepting the nuzzles to his face before rising.

"Yeah! Did you see me? I was awesome!"

"Hah!" Rin joined him in laughing, "You bet I saw you, you kicked ass out there."

Amaimon touched down with Behemoth, panting but recovering in the next minute until the only signs of his hours of playing were the new tatters in his clothes and the gleam in his eyes.

"Hey, Amaimon," Rin said as he stopped a foot away, "have fun?"

Behemoth's wet nose snuffled at Rin and he grinned down at him, dolling out the praise for his efforts as he scratched the red ridges on his head. "You did amazing too, Behemoth."

"Yes," Amaimon's slow response brought Rin to look at him, "I had fun."

Searching his face for the truth in his words assured Rin and he nodded, content in the outcome as he launched into a play by play of their fight.

"That was so cool when you disappeared like that and came down with all the rocks! And then…"

His reenactment continued even after Amaimon took them back to his shop, complete with Rin waving his arms and shadow boxing invisible opponents until he wound down with a whoosh of breath and a broad smile.

"Thanks for agreeing to come out, Amaimon," he finished, smile softening as he collected Kuro into his arms. "Kuro can't play with me like this so it means a lot."

He left to Amaimon's lips twitching upwards in his version of contentment, the signs visible in the relaxed slope of his body that lingered in Rin's mind all the way to the train station.

"Rin," Kuro's soft call of his name interrupted Rin from the long stare out their window. A flinch tried to go through him when Rin saw the look on his face.

"I'm sorry."

Pity.

Something he'd seen so many times from Kuro, much as he made an effort to hide it because he knew how much Rin hated to be pitied.

"Don't worry about it, Kuro," he said equally as soft, hand coming up to brush along the drooping ears.

"Your hands, Rin," Kuro said, eyes snapping to his palms and making Rin realize he had dried blood and pieces of dirt stuck to his skin. He'd forgotten.

"Damn, I probably stained my clothes touching them or something, too." Rin sighed and laughed it off, anything to get Kuro to drop the line of conversation.

The rest of their ride passed in silence, and it continued when Rin opened the door to their apartment. He managed a light chatter when he fed them their dinner, though he couldn't remember what he said.

They stayed up a few more hours to catch up on the most recent show they'd begun. Kuro passed out an hour into it, worn from the activity from earlier. Rin watched without taking anything in, light flickering over his eyes, his smile fallen to leave him expressionless.

End credits rolled for the newest episode and Rin flicked it off, leaving without waking Kuro to his own room. He dropped into bed, muffling the silence further with a blanket over his head.

His pulse seemed loud as Rin focused on it, letting the steady sound lull him to sleep with each slowing beat.

And he dreamed.

He dreamed of hunting, chasing, claws in the dirt and sinking into giving flesh. Dreamed of fangs flashing, bared in playful snarls, joy reflected back at him from gold eyes.

Dreamed of the wild rush of energy clashing and melding in a whirling dance across a field that went on forever.

Rin ached.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rip to Rin. Hopes he’s got insurance on the shop lmao 
> 
> If u guys wanna scream at me over this or just aoex in general I'm on Tumblr and discord as Thebeingofeverything and tboe 💪 I'm dying for more aoex convo lololol


	8. Shot Gun or Scalpal Talk?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mephisto and Amaimon are mighty and powerful demon-gods who cower before no mortal! One overly protective family member of Rin's may beg to differ.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK this took an UNNECESSARY amount of time to complete but also I wasn't able to write for like 2 weeks besides a sentence here and there when I could find time T.T In my head this fic should already be done now and I'm on to working at Incandescence and yet, we're still only halfway through with 8 or 9 more chs to go?
> 
> I outlined everything myself, so you'd think I'd have better perspective on this thing XD
> 
> Recipes:
> 
> Anatolia Cafe
> 
> https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/drinks/g13510875/alcoholic-coffee-drinks-cocktails/?slide=7
> 
> Chestnut Praline Latte
> 
> https://mommakesdinner.com/chestnut-praline-latte/
> 
> Chestnut Manju
> 
> https://cookpad.com/uk/recipes/154784-chestnut-manju

"-Rin."

"Mm-whuh?" Rin mumbled into his phone he'd dropped onto his face after it pulled him from sleep.

"Did you hear me?" Yukio asked with a light sigh.

"Yeah, yeah I did." Something, something, get ready, see you soon. "See you, Yukio."

The rest of the morning passed in a blur and it wasn't until Rin handed the first customer their order that he woke up entirely.

"Oh shit," he said, heart thudding as he darted his gaze around the room.

Izumo stopped and turned to him with an arched brow. "What now?"

A rumble of an engine approached, idled, two forms neared the door at the same time.

"Oh," Izumo echoed him as she saw what he did. "Shit."

"Pardon me," Mephisto said, smiling.

"Thank you…sir," Yukio responded.

He stepped under the arm holding the door for him, wary, especially since Yukio _wasn't_ short, but Mephisto dwarfed him anyway.

Two sets of eyes met Rin's, two mouths opened and spoke.

"Rin."

Rin's heart dropped as Yukio and Mephisto blinked over after hearing the other say his name.

"Hey guys," he found his voice. He'd forgotten that when Yukio had a day off, he utilized the _entire_ day. Which meant it was inevitable he'd meet Rin's new regulars. "Uh, I guess I should introduce you?"

"No need, Rin, thank you," Mephisto interrupted while Yukio tensed beside him. "I believe I've heard of the top neurosurgeon in the country-the youngest too, a prodigy, they say."

His eyes slid over Yukio in a slow scan, Yukio stiffening further under his appraisal. Then Mephisto's lips twitched into a smile, only the barest tips of his fangs revealed, safe, as he continued, "Okumura isn't so uncommon, so you'll forgive me for not making the connection between you both sooner."

The grin stretched, "Although I should have. Twins?"

At Yukio's nod, Mephisto dipped his head.

"Allow me to introduce myse-"

"I know who you are," Yukio interrupted, "sir."

Rin once again ended up pinned by two intense stares. Izumo had made herself scarce during the introductions. Traitor.

"Ah, anyway," Rin made himself say. He rubbed at the back of his head to two raised brows. "Lemme get your drinks going-er, why don't you sit down, relax, Yukio. I know it's been awhile since you've been off your feet."

Rambling for a few more seconds about his usual "have you been eating right?" and "when's the last time you slept?" eventually got Yukio to relax a fraction. Mephisto just seemed amused beside him, waiting with his lips curved into a wry smile.

Beneath the sure movements of a drink prep, Rin panicked. Was his face red? It felt flushed but if he reached to check it would just bring attention to it. Yukio was too used to all his tells by now, and Mephisto could definitely hear his heart fluttering with nerves.

"Thank you, Rin." A touch to his fingers snapped Rin from his head and he bit straight through his tongue, yelping behind his clenched lips as he hurriedly swallowed the blood filling his mouth.

"What have you created for me today, Rin?" Mephisto said, a gleam in his eyes that seemed focused on Rin's mouth.

"Anatolia cafe!" Rin blurted out, then winced at the slivering of Mephisto's pupils. Had he gotten all the blood from his teeth? His healed tongue traced between fangs, the metallic tang telling him that no, he hadn't. _Great._

A light built in green irises, glowing over a grin that said Mephisto definitely teased him, the edges curling as he inhaled.

"Trying to get me drunk before I've even made it to the office, Rin? At least take me out first." The purr that came along with Mephisto's question sent Rin sputtering as he tried to process.

His face burned, forcing out an explanation just as the bell above the door rang and Shima entered. Rin barely acknowledged him and the double-take he did.

"It's just syrups flavored like alcohol-non-alcoholic, it's non-alcoholic! I'm not trying-it's a cherry, cinnamon, and cognac coffee," he finished in a whoosh as he waited for the earth to swallow him whole. It was only right for him to be buried beneath his shop after the embarrassment killed him and left him haunting it for eternity.

"Well," Mephisto said, purr still heavy in his voice and eyes shuttering. He brought the drink to his lips and the purr deepened along with Rin's blush. When he came away, the cinnamon frosted whipped cream dusted his nose until he drew his long, tapered tongue to collect it in a deliberate slide.

"Since you brought my hopes up and then dashed them, I'm not sure I should give you your hint today."

"Hey, wait!" Rin broke from his daze and glared, "I need a hint!"

"Hm?" Mephisto hummed, raising a brow as he glanced down at Rin and idly took another drink before responding. "So demanding a thing you are."

Rin pouted with a huff of breath, crossing his arms to glower when Mephisto drew his answer out too long.

"How could I say no to that convincing argument?" came the chirp just as Mephisto snapped, cloud of smoke poofing to his hand. He leaned down and grinned, setting something into Rin's palm before covering it with both his hands, enveloping Rin's between them where he gripped.

One palm was still warmed from the heat of the coffee cup, pressing to the back of his hand as Rin froze, breath hitched and stalled on his chest.

"Warmer, _much,_ much warmer, Rin," Mephisto said, a hint of cinnamon and cherries in his breath that brushed Rin's nose from inches away.

The rumble of Mephisto's voice seemed to vibrate from Rin's ears straight to his own chest, a return vibration building up.

"Nng-" Rin started, syllable strangled as Mephisto-still smiling-pulled away and waved.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Okumura, goodbye, Rin, I'll see you tomorrow."

Mephisto left, Rin staring, mouth parted as he tried to reboot.

Yukio coughed, Rin's mouth clicking shut as he rose to make his way to the counter. The smile on his face promised pain. It was the one that said Yukio was fighting everything in him not to let someone know exactly what he thought about their stupidity in the most debilitating tongue-lashing they'd ever experience.

"So," Yukio began while Rin winced, "now that you're not catering to one of the eight most powerful beings in existence, I'd like a ginseng tea."

Rin waited, ears ringing in the silence after Yukio's request. The start of it, anyway.

An inhaled breath, Yukio leaned in towards Rin's face, continuing, "A ginseng tea, and a very, _very_ detailed explanation for what just happened."

"Thanks," he finished, beaming at Rin with a winning smile.

"I'll just...go find Izumo," Shima mumbled and scuttled past them to the back room while Rin's shoulders hunched to his now drooping ears.

"Yeah, one ginseng tea coming right up," he said, weak laugh fading at the raised brow facing him that crept higher and higher.

Yukio's gaze flicking to Rin's hand next made him jolt, remembering there was something there and looking to see what Mephisto had left this time.

An ornate dragon stared back at him, the simple origami paper it was folded from somehow appearing expensive with the delicate overlay of gold scales on its purple body. Rin was pretty sure it was hand-painted, possibly, the gold was actual gold.

The dragon settled on Mephisto's usual payment, giving the air of a real dragon proudly guarding a hoard.

"Oh," came the stuttered breath from his suddenly tight chest. Rin pulled the dragon closer, searching for a safe place for it where it wouldn't get crushed or damaged-what if coffee got on it?

Plastic caught his eye and he snatched one of the to-go containers off a shelf to place his gift into, sighing with relief at having that accomplished.

His focus split as a customer came through, and he called Izumo, getting her from the back room where she'd been staying out of the way. Rin tried to ignore the smirk twisting her lips and a "good luck" mouthed at him from Yukio's blindspot.

"Come on, Rin, let's catch up," Yukio said, gesturing to the seat as Rin handed him his tea. The urge to tuck his tail closer to his body had Rin fidgeting as he followed Yukio to the table, and no amount of nervous smiling kept the sense of impending doom from digging its tendrils deeper every second Yukio postponed things.

 _Scary._ Rin almost wished he was facing down an angry demon king again instead.

"First things first," Yukio said the second they were in their seats, his gaze boring into Rin's without mercy, "do mom and dad know?"

"Ouch, going for the hard ones," Rin mumbled as his fingers picked at the edges of his shirt. At Yukio's continued silence, he sighed and shrugged, glancing out the window. "No, I didn't want to worry them, I've got it handled, I've been careful!"

" _Rin,_ " his name came strained from Yukio, wrinkles forming around his eyes as he squeezed them shut and rubbed at them like he could erase the stress. "Careful is when you keep your tail hidden at the grocery store or don't break things because you've forgotten your strength again."

Like the dented steel mixing cup Amaimon had fixed for him, maybe? Rin decided he wouldn't tell Yukio about that incident.

"Not _actively flirting with a demon king,_ " Yukio ended in a hiss. His eyes beneath his glasses could have been glowing with the glare he sent Rin after his hand fell away.

"I'm not flirting!" He strangled the yelped words before they got too loud, not needing to add more fuel to Shima's fire. With luck, Izumo would get whatever orders he had to deliver out sooner than later and Rin would only have to deal with one nosy employee waiting for the definitely exaggerated drama of his life.

Yukio's expression said he wouldn't believe Rin if someone paid him to.

"Sure," he drawled, sounding exactly like Izumo, "sorry, let me rephrase. Not standing by while a demon king _actively flirts with you._ "

"Well, when you put it like that," Rin said without any defense he could think of that wouldn't just get shot down by Yukio. "It wasn't like I went out and invited random demon kings here. I stayed quiet, and I just treated him like any other customer!"

Maybe he hadn't thought his initial knee-jerk reaction at hearing the name of his competitors coming from Mephisto's mouth that first meeting, but he hadn't done much beyond getting him pastries and a drink, and, " _And_ I had no idea who he was when he came in."

Groaning from Yukio met his words, and Rin watched him drain his tea in a quick gulp as if to steady himself further.

" _How_ did you not recognize him?" Yukio's hands twitched like he was about to wrap them around Rin's throat. "His face is on half the city. Mom and dad showed you him when you decided to open this place here."

"I thought he was a cosplayer or something!"

"A _cosplayer?_ "

Ok, Rin deserved the look Yukio was giving him after that one. "Yeah, I mean, when they talked about him, they made it seem like he'd be this, this huge energy and I'd notice right away, but he just…"

He trailed off.

"I didn't think they would feel like that," Rin's gaze fell, a thud of his pulse taking him from the shop at the remembered feel of the first time Mephisto walked through the door. Energy stronger than any he'd ever felt, but still just sparks across his senses, an electric current that set his hairs raising.

He'd expected...more.

"Oh," Yukio said, turning solemn and watching Rin with that look, the one he'd gotten from Kuro, from his family, as long as he'd been aware enough to recognize what it meant. "Rin I-"

"Anyway," Rin cut him off, knowing he could distract Yukio from the topic neither of them really wanted to talk about, "I've been careful. Mom's lessons paid off."

"You don't have to worry, even if I know you will," Rin said, shaking his head and grinning to dispel the unease, "Besides, you do enough of that with your patients."

"My patients don't give me nearly the same headaches you do, Rin," Yukio sighed the words into his remaining tea.

Definitely stressed. Rin saw the signs eating at the corners of the lines on Yukio's face. He would have permanent ones by thirty if he kept up the non-stop work the way he did. Which was why Rin had to lessen his worries when he came to visit the few breaks he had.

"Why don't I make you something and we can see if Shiemi is free for a lunch break later?"

Rin fought not to smile at the way Yukio perked up, much as he tried to maintain his professionalism. Any other time, Rin would have teased him about it, but, given the shock he'd just put Yukio through, he could give him a little break.

"That would be nice," Yukio said like he wasn't about to jump out of his seat and drag Rin to Shiemi. His eyes focused, smile sharpening on Rin and bringing the apprehension back in spades. "She can explain what the both of you were thinking."

"Yeah, ok, Yukio," Rin whimpered, resigning himself to never living the day down.

* * *

Amaimon flicked a pebble along the dirt floor of his shop and watched Behemoth chase after it. The game absorbed his attention for several minutes he barely registered.

He'd had customers throughout the morning that he didn't care to remember, gone through all the offerings humans and various kin of his dropped off at his doorstep, and run out of things to capture his attention the moment the last sweet disappeared into his mouth.

The option to wander the town crossed his mind, fleeting, because he'd already gone over every crevasse of it and the surrounding bamboo forest to boot.

Really, his only and best option was one small shop and the strange creature running it.

"Behemoth," he said, accepting the slobbering tongue that left his hair standing on end after the exuberant affection he received.

Familiar in hand, Amaimon left with a thought. A poof, and he arrived, inhaling and discarding the scents of the city to enjoy the sweet smells curling from the shop, following them like a lure. What would Rin have for him today? He hoped it was another of the caramel drizzled drinks, but it was also equally as likely Rin would craft something new and wonderful that he would enjoy just as much.

His claw clicked between his fangs as he used the arm holding Behemoth to shove the door open. It fell from his mouth, Amaimon's brows furrowing at the sight that met him, and he let Behemoth down to examine it closer.

"Ah, Amaimon!" Rin said from the small table he sat at next to…

Inhaling brought the scents from the shop to him to analyze.

Blue eyes narrowed behind glasses, then widened, a heart skipping through a ribcage in clear surprise.

Laughter under a breath took his gaze to the other human-Izumo, Rin had called her-manning the counter, before it cut off at his attention.

She returned to her task and Amaimon to chewing over the situation he'd arrived at.

"I'm bored, Rin," he said.

Rin jolted like he'd been zoned out, rising and coming towards Amaimon with a laugh that was more nervous than usual. Was he afraid of Amaimon? His eyes narrowed, considering the idea, then discarding it. Rin had yet to show true fear, and nothing like the scents of anxiety the other humans he surrounded himself with had produced around Amaimon.

So, this was likely related to the doppelganger seated across from Rin. A twin? He brought his claw back to his mouth. Would the twin be like Rin? He thought it would be difficult to find another like Rin. But, he could prove just as interesting, even if he'd displayed anxiety signals at the sight of Amaimon.

"I'll get you something started," Rin came up to him with a bright smile that showed the tips of his fangs Amaimon wanted to examine closer. Were they the vestigial fangs of a nephilim, or could they grow into something truly dangerous?

First came Rin's offerings, though.

"Why don't you sit here-ah," Rin shuffled, suddenly beset by a wide, teeth-baring smile from the twin.

Warmth set at Amaimon's elbow and he stilled, pupils slivering as he slid his gaze to the side, Rin's casual touch bringing him from his mind.

"Lemme introduce you to my younger brother, Yukio-er, twin brother," he said, no notice in his voice of the oddity of his actions. Slight pressure to Amaimon had him moving on automatic at Rin's direction.

"He's visiting for the day-he's a doctor, you know, so he doesn't get many days off-hey, Yukio, this is Amaimon! The demon Shiemi introduced me to she was telling you about."

Silence burrowed a hole between Amaimon and the twin. Yukio.

Under his observation, that attention flicked to where Rin still touched Amaimon. Beneath the careful exterior, Amaimon saw wariness, and beneath even that, _jealousy._

He grinned. It bared fangs much more dangerous than _Yukio._

"Rin, I want something new today," Amaimon said, a chirp in his voice. He broke the stillness and draped himself along Rin, waiting.

 _There_. Blue eyes flashed at him and the smile tightened.

"S-sure thing, Amaimon," Rin stuttered, body curving with a shiver as if to get away. Amaimon's eyelids drooped in pleasure at the rapid uptick in Rin's pulse and the pink in his cheeks that said otherwise.

Purring went through him, a return rumble emanating from Rin before he seemed to come back to himself and broke free, his heat an absence at Amaimon's side that made his claws curl. The desire for whatever Rin would make him warred with the sudden need to keep him near.

"The plant on the windowsill, that's yours, isn't it," a collected voice kept him from trailing after Rin.

Observant, for a worm. Amaimon slid into the chair opposite the occupied one and snapped, bringing the camellia bonsai to rest between them like a battle line.

"Yes," he said simply. Another motion brought a mister to his hand and a small watering can to the table. Amaimon didn't necessarily _need_ to care for the plant this week, but he could always begin early.

Yukio watched as Amaimon settled a stone that had fallen out of place back to its position amongst the tangled roots. Red blooms flourished at a caress of his claws, petals like blood against the gleaming black edges.

To the worm's credit, he didn't flinch or show any overt sign of fear. Possibly, it was because he'd grown up with whatever Rin was. Amaimon could induce real fear into him, but-Rin laughing at a dry quip from Izumo drew Amaimon to glance at him from the corner of his eyes-it would upset Rin.

That polite smile spread in a mild stretch over Yukio's face, fixed there, and he seemed willing to spend the time without speaking a word to Amaimon besides his initial observation.

It suited Amaimon fine. He went back to the camellia, deciding he would change the shape, and began willing it to grow. Roots sprawled into an intricate knot framing the stone, older leaves died as he plucked them off one by one to fall into dust at the base without his power sustaining them until he had the finished product.

His name, or the common symbol humans used to invoke his name, stared blatantly from the new design shaped by the roots. Whether the twin recognized it or not didn't really matter to Amaimon, but, by the flex of the fingers wrapped around the cup of tea, Amaimon would say he did.

Behemoth slumbered at his feet, though he shook awake just as Amaimon noticed movement.

"Here you go!" Rin said, breaking the cold war across the table without a hint that he knew it existed.

"Oh, it looks different. That's a cool design," he blinked down at the bonsai, at least noticing that much. "I keep having to tell kids not to mess with it when they come in."

In his hand rested a plate laden with small, gently steaming pastries he placed next to the bonsai, followed by a drink set before Amaimon.

"Here, I brought enough for both of you," Rin's voice interrupted Amaimon from inhaling the first third of the drink. He swallowed, chewing at what he registered were crushed chestnuts and pecans after thinking about it.

"It's a chestnut praline latte-you know, to go with the chestnut manju," Rin gestured at the plate, a pleased smile on his face, "Let me know if you like it! I wanted to try my hand at fall stuff for the menu."

Something new.

Amaimon brought one of the steaming pastries to himself, letting it last in his mouth even as it scalded the skin with the heat.

"Thank you, Rin," the twin said, pointed, though the smile he sent to Rin at least looked less wooden than the one he set on Amaimon next.

Didn't like to share? Neither did Amaimon, unless…

The impulse hit him and he broke off half of his next pastry, holding it out until it nudged at Rin's lips. Impatience didn't have the chance to form as Rin opened his mouth, going cross-eyed as he tried to look at what Amaimon shoved past his teeth.

"Mmf!" His muffled shock had Amaimon humming, pleased as Rin swallowed and gaped at him, red back on his face. "Amaimon, I-"

"It's good, you should have some, too," Amaimon said and enjoyed the sound of gritting teeth from across the table as he licked at his fingers that had just been in Rin's mouth.

Without acknowledging the twin, he selected another to give Behemoth while listening for Rin to finish being stunned.

Rin finished the flustered sputtering Amaimon had caused, gaze darting as if searching for something.

"I'm-thanks, Amaimon! Uh, I'm glad you like them."

It settled on a nearby chair Rin dragged between Amaimon and Yukio before dropping into it and grinning beneath the flush still on his face.

"So," he said, getting two patient expressions along with a raised brow from Yukio, "I'm spending the day with Yukio but we just saw Shiemi and both of us are excited to come by the shop tomorrow. I can bring Kuro, too."

Their weekly gift. Amaimon didn't know whether to be pleased Rin would be coming, or upset he wouldn't be coming alone.

"This is the shop she was talking about," Yukio said as if confirming it to himself, cutting into the pastry with careful precision and fingers that didn't tremble in the slightest.

"Haha, yeah I don't know anything about the plants but she gets really excited every time she sees the new stuff and…"

Amaimon let Rin's voice wash over him, watching as the twin dissected the pastry with a surgeon's eye for detail. Was he making a threat? Or just using the slow cuts to keep from showing fear in his presence.

What would it take to get him to show fear, Amaimon wondered, turning the thought over in his mind. A minor earthquake under his feet, something to break the facade and draw out what he could sense lurking beneath, maybe.

But Rin would most likely be protective over the twin, so he would have to test him in other ways.

His gaze slid to the side, tracking the movements and exuberance in whatever story Rin was telling.

Other ways like making it clear he would be staying by Rin until he figured out the mystery shadowing his easy-going demeanor.

Path selected, Amaimon slumped back into the chair, sprawling out and lips twitching when Rin stumbled over his next word. His leg now leaned firmly against Rin's, boots shoved at Yukio's pristine black shoes as Behemoth rolled to make room. He tossed another pastry in his mouth and finished the last of his drink.

"When can we play again, Rin?" Amaimon asked, feeling Behemoth perk at attention to his words just as the twin stilled with a bite halfway to his mouth.

"You wanna play again?" Rin blurted, hair whipping as he snapped to look at Amaimon with a bright grin. "I didn't know you would want to so soon but Kuro'll be super excited!"

A sigh of pleasure drifted out from Rin next as he dropped his chin into his palm. "It was so fun watching you guys, I can't wait to see what you throw out next."

The wistfulness on Rin's face neared the levels of the one Amaimon had caught him wearing the first time he'd brought his familiar to play. It was strange, and he didn't know what to make of it. What he _did_ know was that he would enjoy displaying what else existed in his arsenal for Rin to view. Amaimon dipped his tongue under his claws to get the rest of the pastry from them before chewing the tip of his thumb, plate finished.

"Good," he responded to Rin's hopeful eyes, then stood, though not without making sure to slide his leg along Rin's firmly to see him startle again. Behemoth came to his call as Amaimon nodded to Rin and left.

Amaimon opened his eyes to stare out over the horizon of the city from the roof of a building on the outskirts. He blinked, considering what he would do the rest of the day, one more of many, endless days.

Should he visit Samael and ask for a solution like he'd meant to when he'd first arrived in Assiah? He narrowed his eyes, following that avenue to its natural conclusion.

If he went to Samael, then Samael might ask him what he'd been doing recently. If Samael asked, then he would find out about Rin, because no secrets stayed that way once he sniffed them out.

And if Samael found out about Rin, then Amaimon would be forced to share. Or worse, get pushed aside because, even though he'd discovered Rin for himself, Rin was in Samael's territory and was therefore _his_.

Irritation bit at Amaimon's nerves and he vanished from the city.

Next time, he would see if Rin would consider moving out of Samael's territory.

* * *

Yukio took the last sip of his tea and set the mug down as carefully as he'd picked apart the remaining chestnut manju Rin had prepared earlier.

The manju he'd just shared with Amaimon, king of earth, seventh in Gehenna, and the second of the Ba'al he'd ever met in his life. Both meetings in the same day, in the same place, with only the hours separating them from each other.

Both meetings in his very own brother's shop. His brother, who couldn't seem to move from the position he'd frozen in, staring at the spot the earth king had vacated.

"Rin," he started to say.

"Yukio," Rin said without warning, something about his voice and the wide cast to his eyes when he faced Yukio pausing him, "am I cursed? Can you check?"

"Er, cursed?" Yukio tried to understand Rin's train of thought. It clicked in the next second and he groaned, rubbing at his face beneath his glasses to the earnest pout Rin sent him for the reaction.

But, "Yeah, I'll check."

If anyone could be cursed to get the attention of not just one, but two of the Ba'al, it would be Rin. As his brother, he could at least check to make sure it wasn't a curse Rin had picked up the same way some people did bubblegum off the pavement onto their shoes.

"You're a lifesaver, Yukio," Rin echoed his groan, wrapping his arms around the base of the bonsai pot and hugging it like a security blanket. "The last thing I want to do is let mom and dad know because you know they'll freak out and never let me leave the house again."

Yeah, that was probably true, Yukio winced. It had been hard enough in the first place, and, much as he'd agreed with their worries...well. He'd seen Rin's eyes light up enough times at his shop-just _talking_ about his shop-that the alternatives felt like pale shades in comparison.

"I'll check before I leave today."

Now, he just had to use the restroom, possibly scream about what he'd just gone through, and carry on with any more surprises Rin might have in store he'd conveniently forgotten to mention. Yukio excused himself and Rin went to go assist Izumo with several customers.

Out of the corner of his eye, pink moved, and Yukio registered Shima by the entrance to the storage room looking shifty, as usual. He nodded and made to pass.

"Hey doc," Shima whispered, sounding as shifty as he looked, "I got this weird bump on my butt, can you check it out, make sure I'm not dying?"

He released a long breath through his nose, smiling the smile he gifted the most difficult family members of his patients. "For the last time, Shima, I'm not that kind of doctor and I don't want to check out your-"

Shima reached out and dragged him into the back room, shushing him before he could complain at the manhandling.

"So, have fun meeting Rin's newest suitors today?" An exaggerated wink accompanied his words.

His implications brought a shudder to Yukio. "No."

"Shiemi thinks it's cute," Shima said, eyebrows waggling as he nudged at Yukio's shoulder. "She keeps asking if Rin will see them more often outside of work."

Outside of work. Spending more time _together_. Time that might include Yukio, because Rin was _oblivious_ like that. Would it be worse to find excuses not to go? Or leave Rin in the clawed hands after his tail that he somehow didn't see? Above that, the very real possibility existed that he would meet even more of the Ba'al. The danger of such a scenario had him reconsidering his promise to Rin to not involve their parents.

It might be something they couldn't handle. Not if-

"I don't have time for this," Yukio said and moved to leave only for Shima to grab his arm, a sinister smile on his face.

"So there's this betting pool," he revealed when Yukio didn't just yank his arm away and flee like he was beginning to think he should. "About who breaks through Rin's shroud of obliviousness first-or if they do at all."

There was a betting pool, realization dawned on Yukio. Of course there was a betting pool.

"You in?"

Shima smiled wider at Yukio's silence, waiting.

Of all the stupid, idiotic, thoughtless…

"Yeah, I'm in."

His twin was going to break two non-existent hearts, and he would be there to _witness_ it.

"Man, you're scary, doc."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk who to feel most sorry for, Yukio, Rin, or the two bastard demons who have to deal with them lmao


	9. King of the Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amaimon finally gets some quality alone time with Rin, then some quality alone time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had fanart sketched for this chapter for like a year now, just waiting for it to get written so I could share it XD Now I just gotta actually sit down and finish it >.>
> 
> Recipes:
> 
> Hokkaido Cheese Tart
> 
> https://gimmeyummy.com/easy-hokkaido-cheese-tart-recipe/
> 
> Song of the Chapter:
> 
> Gold by Chet Faker
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/track/03qDVofuUUQSsSQCLWX0eF?si=86095612fd5f4636

The shop idled around Rin, a slow day during the week. His one bright point had been Mephisto's stop in the morning where he'd managed not to look like a total idiot after the last time.

As it was now, though, time seemed to drag its feet.

He was bored.

Memories of another voice complaining of boredom drifted across his mind. It took a few seconds for something to click and he blinked, rising from where he'd been slumped on the counter.

"Hey Bon, doesn't look like there's much happening today so I'm gonna let you guys handle things," he said, movements hurried with his renewed energy at the idea he'd just had.

His day was looking up!

Rin snagged a few of his newest test-pastries before he made for the station, dropping into a seat and leg bouncing at the slow pace.

Despite not really knowing what he would do once he got to Amaimon's, Rin couldn't find it in himself to be deterred. He'd figure it out once he got there.

Dust from the road to the town outside the station kicked up around his shoes as he lept from the train doors, almost running to Amaimon's shop, giddy for reasons he couldn't explain.

Inhaling deeply as he opened the door brought the scents of the shop to his senses and Rin sighed before heading further in.

"Amaimon?" he called, half-prepared for another hole to appear at his feet. Soft sunbeams made puddles of light on the ground that he walked past, and the cooler weather didn't penetrate the warmth kept at a steady equilibrium inside. It brought a shiver of contentment through Rin, something he usually only felt when he was in his own shop.

Peace warred with excitement to leave Rin anticipatory, inhaling again to see if he could distinguish Amaimon from the patchwork of scents, his path becoming more of a stalk through the filtered gloom.

Something shifted in the plants above him, Rin glancing up too late as a figure fell from the vines an inch from his face and blinked.

"Ah!" Rin yelped into gold eyes staring at him upside-down, heart jolting as he backpedaled into a shelf and winced at the pots cracking together from the abrupt force. Did he break one again?

Amaimon hung where he'd dropped, vines twisted around his limbs and holding him as he lightly swung in place. It should have been painful with the way his body contorted, but he made it seem like he could stay there all day in his position. Green strands of his bangs swayed when he cocked his head at Rin, who hadn't moved from his half-seat on the bench, using it as a prop while he gripped his chest.

"Dammit, how do you keep doing that?" Rin said in a whoosh, heart calming after the newest shock it had just undergone courtesy of one unrepentant demon still watching him from the eaves.

"Doing what?" Amaimon's mouth said one thing, but the faint tug of his lips up-or down-wards and the glow in his eyes said he knew exactly what he'd done.

Rin grumbled and shifted off the bench to walk up to Amaimon, trying to scowl but failing. "You know, sneaking up on me. How do you keep doing that?"

"Oh?" Amaimon said with a hum, rocking to send his body swinging in the vines until his nose just missed brushing Rin's and momentum took him away again. "Do you think you can find me here? You make so much noise it's not hard to sneak up on you."

"Are you-is that a challenge?" Rin reached and tugged at one of the tendrils dangling by Amaimon's shoulder to pull him back. "Because I'll definitely do it one of these days, just watch!"

"Besides," Rin pushed him away again, "it's not like I can smell you in here, you just smell like all the plants."

Amaimon's head jerked up-down-and he zeroed in on Rin, pupils slivering and causing a burst of apprehension in his chest, though also not, more of that anticipation beginning to sing in Rin's veins.

Claws snapped to fix into the front of his work clothes he'd forgotten to change out of in his haste to get to the shop and Amaimon pulled himself to Rin. "Do you want to play? Try to find me."

"Do I-" Rin cut himself off as he stumbled forward, righting himself just before they crashed together and staring into intense gold eyes as he processed the question.

"Yes!" he answered without thinking. "That sounds so fun. Hurry up, hide! I'll find you."

Already, Amaimon released him with a laugh and vanished into the vines again, the thick greenery coating the walls and ceiling swallowing his form before Rin could blink.

"And no cheating by doing that poofing thing," Rin added, ducking into a crouch as he began stalking through the aisles. His body became a livewire, flooding with adrenaline as he tuned every sense towards the slightest hint of Amaimon.

The bag in his hand slipped to the ground from limp fingers that curled into loose claws. He flexed them like he had Amaimon in his grasp already.

Rustling sounds came from various corners, but every time Rin froze to pinpoint them, they faded and left him circling the rows of the shop. His ears twitched, tail wound taut around his torso with the instincts to lash tightening it in intermittent spasms.

When he inhaled, nothing but the shop scents identified themselves, even after he dropped his jaw to pant through his mouth. Various humans, demons, and even the scent of Behemoth drew over his tongue, and he eliminated them one by one.

"Do you give up?"

Rin jerked his head around and yelped. Gold peered from the leaves at eye level on the nearest shelf of plants, and, now that Rin looked, the rest of Amaimon's body took shape between the green, his maroon jacket somehow muted.

"No, again!" Rin said to the smug expression Amaimon sent his way.

A shrug and Amaimon vanished, leaving Rin staring at the plants that seemed to have taken his place. Colors from various flowers caught his attention as he began the hunt.

Actually, now that he looked closer…

A giggle escaped Rin, stifled as he bit into his lips and examined the flower closer.

Had that been in the shop the whole time? How had he missed this on his usual walkthroughs while Shiemi did her thing and Amaimon subtly stalked around them as they browsed?

Flowers dangled off a deep green stem, and on the flowers dangled...well. They looked like little men. He shook himself from laughing at the strange plant and refocused.

Except, once he'd noticed one plant, others started to pop out of the usual backdrop of endless green. One he thought he recognized, though definitely not the shape it was grown into because that was some kind of edible pepper. Rin almost reached out to touch it as if to confirm what his eyes were seeing until he remembered the last time he'd tried to touch a plant in the shop and resisted.

Rustling above him snapped Rin from considering the plants and he glanced up, then startled.

"Pft!" he snorted, gaze following the thick vines running overhead and the seed pods or something hanging from the thin strands. Was that some kind of fruit? _Why_ had they grown like that? And why did _Amaimon_ have them in his shop?

Focus. Had to focus.

Trying to ignore the plants that kept appearing in his peripherals worked up until shifting had him glaring over his shoulder. A few vines seemed to sway towards him, and he was pretty sure the flower heads hadn't been facing him before but definitely were now.

They didn't move any more under his direct attention, and Rin turned after a last suspicious squint.

"Wuh-" he got out, going cross-eyed as he blinked. Red petals caressed in a soft press to his lips on the plant he'd just run straight into. Those _hadn't_ been there before, but they didn't move from their new positions, despite looking like they'd fall out of the pot they grew from if they reached any further.

And the flowers were shaped like lips puckered into a kiss.

Rin burst out laughing, hunching in on himself with his hands around his stomach as he shook with mirth.

Sudden heat around his ankles broke Rin's fit and he looked to see clawed fingers circling him leading along limbs wrapped in the familiar green armbands all the way to the maroon jacket pooling beneath the body they enveloped.

Amaimon's brows furrowed over narrowed eyes and a frown.

"You stopped playing," he said, pout evident in his voice.

"Sorry! Sorry," Rin said in a gasp as he crouched to grin down at Amaimon. "I got distracted. I'll take it seriously now."

He flicked the top of Amaimon's strange horn on his head, smile stretching when it got him a startled blink and claws flexing their grip as if in confusion. At Rin's continued silence, he gathered himself, gaze shifting to the side like he couldn't look Rin head-on.

"Hn," Amaimon grunted with a short nod and slid back under the shadow of the bench.

Not even the dust looked disturbed, like Amaimon had erased his presence and gone to ground.

Maybe he had. Rin scanned the packed ground and rough bricks and remembered Amaimon appearing without a sound, the earth obeying him to open in a noiseless ripple. He hadn't sensed him then, either.

Staying still wasn't working, so he started to pace the aisles again. The silence of the shop seemed to press in on him, every sliver of shadow a potential hiding space for Amaimon to crawl from. His shoes scuffed in the dirt to join the thud of his heart, his even breath, until it blurred together over his ears in a singular rhythm he left in the background.

The entirety of his senses refused to unveil Amaimon to him, so Rin huffed a breath of frustration, flexed his claws, and dug deeper.

There was something distinctly "Amaimon" that settled over the entire town and concentrated in his shop. It had registered to Rin as the prickling touch of his energy before he'd discovered the source, and now it muddled further, like every rustling leaf radiated a piece of Amaimon.

Some of those pieces glowed _brighter_ in his mind.

Was he…

Rin frowned, concentrating harder, his steps slowing until he stopped. Searching. Searching, because Amaimon was right…

"There!" Rin darted around the corner of the bench to duck beneath several broad-leaved plants, a wide smile breaking on his lips only to fall when it revealed nothing.

"Aww, dammit, I thought I had you," he grumbled. His ears drooped and he prepared to renew the hunt.

" _Almost._ "

Breath puffed against the back of his neck just as Rin stepped into a body. The squeak that tried to escape escaped anyway when a sharp claw poked into his cheek.

"You were close," Amaimon said from behind Rin. He cocked his head, body shifting in a way that Rin heard more than felt, not quite touching with only the heat building between them to fill the space. "Did you figure it out?"

His words took a few seconds to filter meaning into Rin's head as his tail wrapped tight to cut off the shivers. This close, the scent he'd been trying to track amongst the plants distinguished itself, something immeasurable filling his lungs with each breath.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, you," Rin licked at his suddenly dry lips, "you were putting your energy in the plants and ground so it's harder to pinpoint the source, right?"

A nod and a light hum answered him, but when Rin realized he'd been right, he turned, smile breaking on his face to see Amaimon staring back.

"Not bad, right?" he said as he propped his hands on his hips and shoved the rest of his body's reactions deep down under his grin.

"I wanted to play longer," Amaimon said in what Rin would call disappointment.

So had Rin. But, "Maybe we can play in the forest next time. It'll be harder with more plants, right?"

That worked. Amaimon perked up, if the gold flash in his eyes meant anything.

"Yes." Amaimon's usual blank statement of agreement didn't surprise Rin at this point, but it still buoyed him from the earlier disappointment.

"So what were you doing today?" Rin asked, "You know, before I showed up."

The pressure Amaimon exuded just by standing in Rin's space dispersed as he stepped away to walk down the aisle, waving a hand over his shoulder Rin took to mean he should follow.

"Restocking," Amaimon said as they returned to the center of the shop. Another motion of his hand brought several plants and flowers to fill the area at their feet.

He sat amongst them, prompting Rin to settle at the edge of the circle to watch him float one of the plants to his side. The other hand drew up with a pinch, earth from the ground of his shop flowing close behind.

Under Rin's rapt attention, the earth began to take shape. It began to take shape into something like…

"Is that a pot?" Rin yelped, jabbing his finger at the clay pot Amaimon blinked away from that had just solidified with what looked like less effort than breathing.

"Like a clay pot?"

Amaimon nodded again.

Rin shrieked.

"You scammed me outta pastries!" he slapped his hands on the ground, kneeling into Amaimon's space and scowling at the revelation he'd just had.

"I felt really guilty for accidentally running into you and breaking the pot, but you could have totally just fixed it in two-seconds!"

"I like your pastries," Amaimon said, claw coming to his mouth where he gnawed it down to the quick, severe scowl of his own tugging his lips. "And your drinks."

His shriek strangled in his mouth at Amaimon's blunt words and Rin hung his head with a groan.

"Does this mean I can't have any more?" A clear pout filled Amaimon's voice, sending Rin's ears pinning against his head as he raised it to see Amaimon and his face inches away from where he'd also kneeled.

"I'm sorry. Can I have them still?"

That had to be the worst apology Rin had ever heard, and Amaimon was definitely more worried about not getting pastries ever again than actually remorseful for his deception.

They held the stare between them, Rin matching Amaimon's pout the longer it continued.

"Yes, apology accepted," he released the answer in a grumbled huff and sat back on his heels, "but only because you're taking care of that pretty flower at the shop. And you fixed The Beast and that cup, even though you didn't have to, and you play with Kuro."

"And," Rin's gaze flicked to a preening Amaimon as he began to dig around in his bag he'd picked off the floor when they'd passed it, "because I like coming here to hang out with you."

Pastries revealed themselves to Amaimon, who cheered when he saw them and reached to accept Rin dropping them into his waiting claws.

"I wanted to try my hand at cheese tarts so you're my taste-tester," he admitted.

Sitting back to look at Amaimon ended with the rest of Rin's ire dissipating. An exhale sent his bangs puffing away from his face before the crooked smile he'd been fighting formed. He leaned on his palms next to one of the plants to be potted, content to watch Amaimon devour the tarts

Rustling distracted Rin and he glanced to the side, seeing a few of the plants shifting where they'd been placed. The one nearest to him caught his eye and he reached without thought to poke the strange red bulbs shooting from the base to arc overhead.

It looked like some weird kind of fruit, and the urge to bite into it hit Rin. His touch to the waxy surface of the almost scaled ridges of the bulb made a new shiver erupt from the plant, startling him back from it.

With his luck, his hand would start melting off or something.

Great. This was exactly what Shiemi had warned him about.

Nothing _seemed_ to be happening, though. His hand wasn't burning, at least.

Instead, the bulbs nodded at him, definitely moving like they had a mind of their own. As they tipped towards him, a liquid that must have filled the scales began to drip along the ridges, adding a sheen over the already bright surface.

"Uh," Rin started to say, suddenly finding himself hemmed in by the bulbs, "Amaimon? These aren't going to eat me, right?"

"Hm?" Amaimon's questioning hum trailed off as he looked up from where he'd been cleaning away all traces of the pastries. He stopped, pupils slitting as they snapped to where the bulbs were now prodding at Rin's shoulders, releasing more of the fluid.

Gold eyes narrowed and Amaimon scowled, snapping his fingers without hesitation. The plant stopped its curious exploration over Rin's clothes, returning to its original unmoving position like nothing had happened.

"No," Amaimon said, glaring at the plant a final time.

"Cool, sorry I touched it, I forgot," Rin said with a laugh, then winced and poked a finger to the clear fluid staining his jacket. "Uh, whoops."

"Good thing I had the extra clothes, I guess." His gaze had landed on the bag by his feet, the one containing said change of clothes.

"Lemme just-" Rin stood, remembering at the last second to unwind his tail, the end slithering out of sight behind his back as he shucked his jacket and shirt, both having been stained through by the liquid, to change into another.

"There!" he said, dusting his hands, proud of himself for the quick solution and stuffing the dirty clothes into the bag.

For reasons Rin would probably never know, Amaimon's glare at the plant contained an unexpected level of vitriol. It lessened somewhat when he looked Rin's way, but then it just seemed pained, also for reasons Rin couldn't place. He was probably just wondering at Rin's intelligence, something he was vastly familiar with.

Sheepishness filled Rin's laugh as he rubbed the back of his head and made sure he was a healthier distance from any other plants. Healthier, in that it was impossible to be any real distance from a plant, given they filled every available space.

Amaimon blinked, coming back to himself and his task, more pots forming at his direction. His tension eased and time passed in comfortable silence.

Something about watching Amaimon work was hypnotic. The subtle flexes of power effortless but drawing Rin to fall deeper into the flow of energy singing along his senses.

It continued until every plant found a new home, even if the chastised red-bulbed plant seemed to shrink under the narrowed gaze Amaimon kept on it while placing it in the last pot.

"Mm," Rin shook himself, glancing down to pull his phone out, "oh, I can't believe I stayed this long."

Standing with a stretch and a contented sigh let him know it had been long enough to make his bones pop. He let out another wry grin as he tossed his bag over his shoulder.

"Thanks for playing earlier, and sorry for messing with the plant. I'll see you soon!"

"Wait," the short word from Amaimon brought him up, "Here."

At Amaimon's direction, one of the newly potted plants floated over to Rin.

"Oh! Is this for the shop?" Rin asked as he took hold of the base and examined it.

Broad, dark green leaves appeared glossy to Rin's eye. The deep red underbelly drew him to touch, enjoying the cool temperature and hard texture as his fingers ran there in a repetitive motion.

"No," Amaimon stood too, his answer pausing Rin with confusion, "it's for you."

Er, "Me? Oh man, I've killed so many plants, I don't wanna kill this one, too!"

The plant became a ticking time bomb in his hands. Rin gripping it as if it would decay just because he held it too long.

Scoffing from Amaimon interrupted his panic. "You won't kill this one. It's a Gehennian rubber tree. The leaves will curl when it needs water. Don't wait longer than a week after to water it. Don't touch it otherwise. Easy."

That did sound easy. Rin cast a suspicious frown at the plant like it would somehow act differently when no longer under Amaimon's attention.

But, "Thanks, Amaimon. I'll do my best."

His heart fluttered in his chest, smile blooming despite the new responsibility he'd just acquired.

He left to the nod from Amaimon, waving and heading home with contentment making sleep come easy that night, even when he had to toss his bag along with the clothes into the wash. Nevermind dealing with Kuro pouting over Rin's long absence.

Rin borrowed into his covers, inhaling like he was still surrounded by the scents of Amaimon's shop. He slept watching the new gift taking up residence in the corner of his room.

* * *

Amaimon didn't know whether to laugh or scream. The urge to destroy something accompanied both strange emotions he had never felt in quite these extremes before.

He replayed the last hour in his head like it would make any more sense the second time around.

It didn't.

In fact, the more he analyzed things, the _less_ they fit.

Every new encounter with Rin deepened the mystery that Amaimon couldn't uncover no matter how he dug at it. His claw ended up back in his mouth as he gnawed away the new growth without thought.

 _How had Rin-_ the game he'd proposed, letting Rin attempt to find him in his own territory, that had been meant as a way to startle him, not for Rin to actually narrow his location down. What kind of nephilim had that ability?

Blood trickled down his chin and Amaimon registered he'd bit into his thumb, continuing to chew like the pain of his fangs against his bone would jog an answer free.

Infuriating and naive while also being neither of those things. That was Rin.

Most infuriating of all, though…

His gaze flicked to the plants around the shop, glaring at them as if they'd been the source of all his problems. Several Gehennian varieties bowed their flower heads at his pique.

Above everything was the way Rin walked up to him with a smile and asked to _play._

Sharp pain lanced through his now fractured bone where he ground his fangs and Amaimon loosed a growl as he yanked his thumb free of his mouth.

Either Rin asked or gladly accepted Amaimon's invitation, all seeming without an ounce of understanding. Not that Amaimon _hadn't_ had fun, which was the strangest part. Humans were boring, no matter what Samael said. Nephilim were almost as bad, too fragile even when they took more after their demonic lineage. Their inherited features never matched up to any _real_ potential.

Watching the way Rin stalked through his territory, he could almost see extended claws, ears grown to long points, a tail.

All things that Rin, by rights, wouldn't have.

Like the common sense not to touch the plants he didn't recognize in Amaimon's territory. Usually. He'd _thought_ Rin had learned after nearly touching one of the plants best known for causing excruciating pain when he'd first come in.

Though the one he'd been about to touch this time…

"Hn," he grunted out loud, sending a quelling glower to the ginger plant that had been _touching_ Rin the second his attention was taken with the gifted pastries.

A memory flashed across his mind, of Rin laughing and standing to change, something Amaimon wouldn't normally care about at all, given the number of naked humans he'd seen throughout the ages.

Things were different, in part because the mystery of Rin had captured his interest, but also now because, for a split second, he'd seen something slip from sight behind Rin's back.

Red caught his eyes and an impulse bore him down on the ginger plant. His blood had started to pick up in his veins the more he replayed the scene in his head, and he gripped the flower head that had pressed to an oblivious Rin, unable to decide if he should destroy it or-

Amaimon squeezed, tracking the shivers in the plant and the clear liquid that spilled over his fingers. The frustration peaked and he yanked the flower closer, at the same time flooding power into the plant.

The effect took over immediately as leaves began to shudder with uncontrolled growth, new flower heads erupting from the base and surrounding Amaimon. He released the captured stalk while the rest dove towards his body without anything to stop their intent, gathering along his limbs and lifting him into their twisting embrace.

Rin hadn't known what plant he'd been sitting next to. He'd reacted as he had to any perceived misstep in the past, with a laugh and a sheepish smile.

His spine twisted, limbs pulled by stalks that tightened in winding nooses threatening to constrict too far. One made its way up his chest, around his throat, to his lips where the head shoved itself with insistence.

He opened his mouth and snarled, sinking his fangs down to taste the sweet nectar flooding over his tongue as he destroyed the flower that had touched Rin.

It didn't discourage the rest of the stalks from fighting to take the ruined one's place. Amaimon let them, violent urge sated for the moment and instincts pushing him in other directions.

Snapping removed the clothes hindering the progress of the stalks on his now bared skin. His tail flicked from his waist to beat away the restraints until he brought it to drape over his stomach.

Sensation sent his hairs rising as more liquid dribbled from the flower heads to stain his skin. The humid air cooled wet patches of gathering droplets sluicing over the contours of his body to the ground.

The rough drag of the stalks mimicked hands grasping for purchase until one found his tail and twined with it in a single, harsh move. Amaimon gasped as he jerked his hands to his tail, hips juddering and the shock of pleasure making him harden.

Unable to stop himself, his mind turned to Rin.

 _Had_ that been a tail? Or had he just imagined one. Demons didn't have an imagination, but Amaimon felt his mind begin to pull pictures of what sort of tail Rin would have. What would suit the fearless creature that had wandered into his territory?

His tail slipped in restless coils around his hands, constricting as he wondered if Rin's would be like his, reptilian with rasping scales he could wrap in a firm touch like-

Amaimon arched into his palm and stroked down, tail moving like it had a mind of its own and forcing the stalk to join its erratic dance. The heavy limb thumped against his body as he lay back, surrounded by earth and the scents of his den. He wanted a different scent, wanted it to mingle with his, to inhale and surround himself with _Rin._

What _was_ that scent? It danced along the edge of his memory, something primordial that reminded him more of Gehenna than Assiah, but didn't fit either, or was both. His thoughts scattered, the first press against his entrance taking him from thoughts of Rin to the present.

Pain radiated as a burning stretch sent him hissing and his eyes watering. More flower heads nudged alongside the one already past his rim. He let them, eyes shuttered and glazed as his mouth dropped so he could pant through the humid air.

He choked and lost his breath when the flower heads nearest him took his opened mouth as invitation.

Sweet liquid seeped past his stretched lips and down his chin, the rest he swallowed before it could gag him as he took shallow gasps through his nose. It sent his vision blurring, dizziness adding to the kaleidoscope of sensory stimulation each thrust of the heads inside him caused.

Every thrust lifted Amaimon, his body contorted by the stalks pulling his legs wide until even he felt the strain.

Demons didn't have imagination, but Amaimon imagined _Rin_. He imagined the startled gasps and crying his name and the scent teasing him every time he caught it.

And he imagined Rin bound like he was, mind gone to the pleasure Amaimon wrung from him and voice breaking on the calls of his name.

Groaning around the heads in his mouth and thrusting back to meet those filling him in a final hard motion broke Amaimon's cresting pleasure. He came, release spattering to the flowers and mixing with their sweet liquid coating his body.

They didn't stop their thrusts, fucking him through his climax until it verged on too much. Annoyed, Amaimon bit down, swallowing the heads in his mouth and tearing the ones from inside him, finished with his game.

Cowed, the ginger flinched and regressed into its initial state, leaving Amaimon kneeling on the ground covered in the evidence of his actions.

Then it was just his panting breaths filling his shop until they faded. The last of the adrenaline that had pulsed through his veins dispersed, and Amaimon slumped, eyes shuttered in thought.

Rin.

Maybe…

Maybe his gifts weren't good enough.

His eyes closed and he inhaled a slow breath. Considering.

Humans liked gifts. Rin liked _his_ gifts. But not enough. At least, not so far, though time might see progress, and Amaimon had learned something of patience in the centuries of peace.

So, he would see if his gifts would suffice for a while longer, or if he needed something more.

Maybe, he needed something _else._

Something he couldn't get in Assiah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now if someone wants to draw me that spicy solo scene...
> 
> Sorry poor Mephisto didn't get his time in the spotlight today, he'll get it in a later chapter~
> 
> If ur curious, those plants referenced ARE real:
> 
> Shampoo Ginger
> 
> Hooker lips flower
> 
> Peter pepper
> 
> Man orchid
> 
> Annnnd penis passionfruit aka Passiflora quadrangularis Erotica
> 
> Always knew my interest in plants would come in handy one of these days 😂


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